The Carson, CA City Council this week voted to impose a 2 percent tax on tickets sold to games and events at the Home Depot Center, a move that could raise almost $300,000 in annual revenue for the city.
Carson officials bowed to complaints from some residents that the facility was not contributing enough back to the city considering the noise, traffic and other annoyances it brings to the area. In addition, Carson is facing a $5 million budget deficit, and officials were looking at various ways to make up that difference, according to the Daily Breeze newspaper.
Earlier in the year, city officials reportedly considered a 10 percent tax on tickets, and later moved to place a proposal of a 5 percent ticket tax on a special election ballot in 2009. Officials negotiated with the Home Depot Center’s owners, AEG, and settled on the 2 percent tax. The new tax will expire in 2016.
The 27,000-seat Home Depot Center is the home of the L.A. Galaxy soccer team, and the center also has smaller tennis and track-and-field stadiums.
“We’re very pleased with the outcome,” John Keenan, general counsel for AEG Sports and Facilities, told the Daily Breeze. “We have always felt that we’re an important part of the community.”
