Document Type
Working Paper
Date of This Version
8-1-2017
Keywords
football, sports, stadium, tax subsidies, accounting
JEL Classification
H71, H83, L83, Z23
Abstract
Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California is an example of a private financing / public ownership arrangement. While the stadium’s construction resulted in no direct tax increases, this ownership arrangement allows the San Francisco 49ers to avoid many types of taxes on the income generated from Levi’s Stadium. We estimate the total tax savings to the 49ers at between $106 and $213 million over the first 20 years of Levi’s Stadium compared with a privately financed and owned option. We argue that tax savings inherent in private financing / public ownership arrangements represent indirect and hidden subsidies.
Working Paper Number
1705
Recommended Citation
Baumann, Robert; Matheson, Victor; and O'Connor, Debra, "Hidden Subsidies and the Public Ownership of Sports Facilities: The Case of Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara" (2017). Economics Department Working Papers. Paper 186.
https://crossworks.holycross.edu/econ_working_papers/186
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Industrial Organization Commons, Public Administration Commons, Public Economics Commons, Sports Studies Commons, Taxation Commons