This is spending and tax revenue that currently exists in our economy, they spending will move to the Sonic from other forms of entertainment. And by removing the tax income to the state from the Sonics it increases the tax load on everything else, and everyone else.

I being from Tulsa again hate the idea of having to pay (or in this case make up for the lost revenue from) taxes for Oklahoma City to have an NBA team. It's welfare for Oklahoma City, again. And it sucks. And if the Hornets didn't need this, why do the Sonics? The sales tax rebate on Hornets tickets was at least a mostly local hit to tax revenue. This expansion of quality jobs hits everyone in the state and the rest of the state is getting nothing out of the Sonics.

Do we know for sure that sales tax won't be charged on Sonics' tickets if they move here? I thought that was a special arrangement for the Hornets. It seems logical to me that the city collect sales tax, as I doubt it will affect ticket sales, and it gives the city extra revenue from the presence of the NBA team.

I would like to argue that sports fans all over the state benefit from an NBA team in Oklahoma City. Non sports fans...not so much. But it does give the state additional media attention it wouldn't have otherwise.

And if the Hornets didn't need this, why do the Sonics?

The Hornets did get a guaranteed profit from OKC and the current Sonics owners. To them I say thank you. Reading your last post makes me think we are talking about two different things.

Are you talking about the Sonics getting a refund on income tax, or
Are you talking about the NBA tickets being sales-tax free.

This is only a rebate on the income taxes that the Corporation pays, we forget that the players as well as employees will be paying income taxes, as well as sales taxes on any purchases they make(houses, cars, toys, etc.).

This simply an incentive that we have offered other companies to relocate to Oklahoma, we are simply extending that to a sports team, that will help them defer their costs to move here.

Knowing the way our legislature works in a couple of years we will take it back like we did with GM.

It IS a rebate on the income taxes paid by the individual employees of the Sonics.

Look, this isn’t a new industry bring in new money and jobs. A pro sports team is essentially in the service industry. It’s entertainment, no more. The Sonics are going to recirculate money that is already in the Oklahoma economy, if they don’t pay income taxes, then that is a direct hit on state coffers.

The quality jobs act is intended to encourage new industry, new jobs and new money to come to Oklahoma. We don’t give quality jobs to Wal-Mart for opening a new super center. The employees of the Sonics may make far more than Wal-Mart money, but then there are a lot fewer of them. Both the Sonics and Wal-Mart are service industry jobs that should not (and to this point DO NOT) get quality jobs act money. We are changing state law for the Sonics.

The Sonics do nothing to bring in new money into the state. You can argue that having a team is good marketing for the city of Oklahoma City and for downtown Oklahoma City, but we are talking state money and state taxes here, not local taxes. And no one has answered why the Sonics need this at all, because the Hornets didn’t need it.

I will have to check what Saberman said. I thought they got a rebate on the employee's tax. However, Wal-Mart doesn't qualify because the jobs have to pay more than the state average wage. Wal-mart jobs don't do that. NBA jobs far exceed the state average. It is called Quality Jobs not Average Jobs.

This is only a rebate on the income taxes that the Corporation pays, we forget that the players as well as employees will be paying income taxes, as well as sales taxes on any purchases they make(houses, cars, toys, etc.).

This simply an incentive that we have offered other companies to relocate to Oklahoma, we are simply extending that to a sports team, that will help them defer their costs to move here.

Knowing the way our legislature works in a couple of years we will take it back like we did with GM.I think you are absolutly correct. We're only talking about the Corporate/Businesses portion of State income taxes owed. Lets use 10% for discussion purposes only. If the Corp. pays player Smith $1,000,000 a year, it would cost the Corp. $1,100,000. $1,000,000 to player Smith, and $100,000 to the State of Oklahoma. Now, at the end of the year the Corp. would get back a 10% rebate on the $100,000, which would be $10,000. So now it only cost the Corp. $1,090,000. I think, I'm guessing, I'm assuming. Am I correct, or way off?