Friday, December 27, 2013

Income Redistribution

In an article in the NY Times the following is stated:

ESPN is hardly needy. With nearly 100 million households paying about $5.54 a month for ESPN, regardless of whether they watch it, the network takes in more than $6 billion a year in subscriber fees alone. Still, ESPN has received about $260 million in state tax breaks and credits over the past 12 years, according to a New York Times analysis of public records. That includes $84.7 million in development tax credits because of a film and digital media program, as well as savings of about $15 million a year since the network successfully lobbied the state for a tax code change in 2000.

Now I have never seen a football or basketball game and I have only seen Red Sox World Series games, my wonderful wife is from Boston.  So why am I paying some $70 per year for something I neither use or want? Where is Congress on this or the FCC? In New Jersey it should be the PUC or equivalent but I gather they are pure political appointees who are in my experience clueless.

Imagine a $6 Billion Income Transfer from the poor to the rich. Where is the outcry? It makes for extreme pay to the players of these sports, almost all of whom seem to end up in legal trouble one way or the other. Thus the externality costs could easily double this obscene transfer.

Thus for a cause for 2014 perhaps we can solve this Pirate like taking from those who see no benefit but pay for the costs.