Terry Pegula is not content with just getting funding from state and county taxpayers for building a new stadium for the Bills. Now, he is also asking season ticket holders to pay up for personal seat licenses, with some of the most expensive seats costing up to $50,000. The team is offering a payment plan over 10 years with a 10 percent interest rate. This pricing strategy implies that Pegula will not be contributing much of his own money towards the stadium costs, instead shifting the burden to taxpayers and fans. Critics suggest that if all parties were given full information from the start, the financing plan could have been negotiated more fairly to protect the public interest. Ultimately, the blame for this situation may lie with governmental officials rather than the fans or taxpayers.
Serving as a bureaucrat in Erie County government comes with financial benefits, from overtime during the pandemic to a new policy granting 93 managerial appointees seven weeks of paid vacation annually, as reported by Sandy Tan of the Buffalo News. Buffalo is gearing up for the upcoming solar eclipse, with the potential to double its population for the day. The GOP’s House majority is set to shrink, and with Brian Higgins’ departure, they would lack the votes needed for impeachment. Median teacher pay in the Sweet Home School District was the highest in Western New York last year, with 189 out of 685 districts outside of NYC also paying median salaries eclipsing $100,000, according to the Empire Center report.
Companies claim that when choosing where to locate or expand, there are more essential considerations than tax advantages. Not that a study of business executives suggests they’re not important.
A tutorial on the state’s industrial development agencies—which award $1 billion in tax benefits annually—has been produced by New York Focus. Very perceptive.
Over 2,000 illicit marijuana shops exist in New York, compared to 85 licenced ones. Ah, the state government’s competence.
The research charity LittleSis, with its headquarters in Buffalo, published a study last week that listed the number of university trustees with connections to the fossil fuel sector. The response is in the affirmative.
Despite the overturning of Roe v. Wade, there were more recorded abortions last year than at any other time in ten years.
