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Atlanta had approx. 40 million visitors last year in convention business which contributed in payments for the hotel-motel tax. The tax is being extended and $200 million from these projected revenues will be issued in a bond to assist with the new stadium.

Therefore the taxpayers of Georgia are not directly being impacted because the City of Atlanta decides what purposes the revenues from this hotel-motel tax are being used for. So for us out in the burbs we would get no direct benefit anyways aside from potential infrastructure improvements within the City of Atlanta that we could potentially benefit from if/when we travel into/through Atlanta.

So your argument is that because some of the tx burden is shifted to out of towners, this is a good thing? If so I disagree. Taxes are never beneficial to anyone except the select few who are on the govt payroll or who can expect to get some of the pelf. Every dollar in hotel motel TAX that is collected from out of twoners is a dollar NOT spent in some local merchant's store. COnventioneers don't come with an infinite supply of money, the come with limited means just like anyone else, and when they have to disgorge for some egregious 10% tax, the that same money is gone from the pool of available funds.

Also remember that convention planners shop competitively, and cost is definitely a factor. Adding a local extortion to the hotel charge will lead convention planners to shop around for the most competitive overall rate and that might not be ATlanta.

Therefore the taxpayers of Georgia are not directly being impacted because the City of Atlanta decides what purposes the revenues from this hotel-motel tax are being used for.

$200m could have been used to shift the property tax burden from the Atl residents for things like water system improvements, etc. But it isn't It's being spent to make Arthur Blank richer. No way is this new stadium anything but a rip off.

I've been living near Atlnta for 35 years, and I have yet to see the slightest benefit from the current stadium. I expect to see the same from the new one. As far as I'm concerned let Blank and his entertainment squad go someplace else. No loss.