Missouri Sporting Event Bill
By: Alisha Culbertson
Updated: March 18, 2013
JOPLIN, MO.--- A bill attracting more sporting events to Missouri is headed to the governor's desk. Senate approved bill passed the Missouri House on Wednesday. The legislation would provide $3 million dollars a year in funding for cities, counties and non-for-profit organization involved in hosting sporting events in the show me state.
The tax incentive would reimburse organizations such as the Joplin Sports Authority, allowing them to attract amateur sporting events to the state, everything from baseball to basketball tournaments.
"Right now, other states who have this tax and reimbursement on file are getting winning sporting events right and left, so for us to be more competitive with the neighboring states, that's what's important about it," states Patrick Tuttle, Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau.
This is how the bill would work, what a city spends on hosting an event would be reimbursed under the tax credit program or the state would reimburse the city for $5 for very ticket sold, whichever is less.
"It helps them with marketing. It helps them with, in some cases, prize money, guest speakers for an event, those kinds of things. So, it'd really help a local planner to be able to expand their budget by knowing part of that is going to be reimbursed," says Tuttle.
City administrators say this will not only help local organizations, but the City of Joplin as well.
"Some of that money is coming back to Joplin. If they're having a large softball tournament and we know we have so many teams and so many hotel rooms nights, so much revenue is generated because of that event, they can then bank on part of that coming back to Joplin through reimbursement of the taxation," says Tuttle.
A similar bill was introduced last session, but did not pass. 9 different sports authorities in the state could benefit from the bill.
The tax incentive would reimburse organizations such as the Joplin Sports Authority, allowing them to attract amateur sporting events to the state, everything from baseball to basketball tournaments.
"Right now, other states who have this tax and reimbursement on file are getting winning sporting events right and left, so for us to be more competitive with the neighboring states, that's what's important about it," states Patrick Tuttle, Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau.
This is how the bill would work, what a city spends on hosting an event would be reimbursed under the tax credit program or the state would reimburse the city for $5 for very ticket sold, whichever is less.
"It helps them with marketing. It helps them with, in some cases, prize money, guest speakers for an event, those kinds of things. So, it'd really help a local planner to be able to expand their budget by knowing part of that is going to be reimbursed," says Tuttle.
City administrators say this will not only help local organizations, but the City of Joplin as well.
"Some of that money is coming back to Joplin. If they're having a large softball tournament and we know we have so many teams and so many hotel rooms nights, so much revenue is generated because of that event, they can then bank on part of that coming back to Joplin through reimbursement of the taxation," says Tuttle.
A similar bill was introduced last session, but did not pass. 9 different sports authorities in the state could benefit from the bill.
