By Alfred Branch, Jr.

A Pennsylvania state representative is proposing a 10 percent fee on all tickets sold for events in the Keystone State to help pay for transportation projects.

If passed the plan, which is being spearheaded by Democratic Rep. Thomas Petrone of Allegheny County, could raise as much as $100 million annually to help fix the state’s deteriorating infrastructure. According the Altoona Mirror newspaper, the proposal is one of several the state legislature is considering to help generate about $1.7 billion for repair work for the state’s roads, bridges and highways.

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The proposal is already meeting with some opposition from schools and minor league baseball teams that charge very little for tickets to their home games, according to published reports. . .

Pennsylvania is in the midst of changing its current ticket reselling laws to allow for the unrestricted resale of tickets over the Internet. At the moment, only licensed brokers can legally resell tickets in the state, and only at a fixed percentage above face value. Just over a week ago, New York State legalized unrestricted ticket reselling and the Pennsylvania plan would mark a similar measure.

Petrone, who was back at the state Capitol earlier today, did not return a call seeking comment. The state is also considering other proposals to generate transportation revenue, including placing tolls on some state highways.

“With all of these events, the majority use transportation of some sort to get there, so this would be a way of spreading the cost among a wider audience,” Petrone told the Altoona Mirror. “Presently, those tickets don’t come under the state sales tax.”

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