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View Full Version : The beginning of the end for the Jock Tax?


Rajah
04-15-2003, 12:14 PM
http://www.hillnews.com/news/040903/jock.aspx

House Republican leaders yanked a bill from consideration Monday morning that would permit the District of Columbia City Council to levy a “jock tax” on any future professional baseball teams playing in Washington, D.C.

A spokesman for the Major League Baseball Players Association declined to comment. But a person familiar with the situation said the union had learned about the bill Monday morning and had placed calls to different members and House leaders raising objections.

The bill raises a constitutional issue as to whether a municipality can levy such a selective tax on only one group of workers, the source said, warning lawmakers that the bill would establish a risky precedent as a backdoor commuter tax.

In other news, Represenative backs return of MLB to Baltimore:
Referring to the languishing Baltimore Orioles, Davis (R-VA) added, in jest, “You can print this: My No. 1 goal is to bring Major League Baseball back to Baltimore.”

SmedIndy
04-15-2003, 12:20 PM
Have there been any challenges to the taxed levied on a state by state basis?

This would be a conundrum to some lawmakers, who always seem to have a 'state's rights' mantra, but also want 'lower taxes'.

nyy26wc
04-15-2003, 12:36 PM
Sure, a tax on athletes "raises" a constitutional issue, but everything can be said to "raise" a constitutional issue. And almost everything that "raises" a constitutional issue is ultimately determined to be constitutional.

If anyone in my constitutional law class in law school had tried to do the constitutional analysis on this one and determined it was unconstitutional, the person would be failing the class. And, if they tried it as a lawyer, they'd be laughed out of court.