When the 1 percent arena sales tax ended with 2007, it left the sales tax rate throughout the county at 6.3 percent (except in Derby, where it’s 6.8 percent). That leaves Wichita again looking good as a shopping destination for Kansans. In some Kansas counties and towns near Kansas City, rates are topping 8 percent and crowding 9 percent. In Topeka, Salina, Newton, Hutchinson, Pittsburg, Parsons, Lawrence, Hays and Manhattan and elsewhere, shoppers pay more than 7 percent sales tax.
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26 Comments
How much of the sales tax revenue is going to pay for that stupid radio commercial, bragging about the arena tax being over, with the comment about “unnatural acts with fuse boxes” as a tag line?
What, exactly, is the point of that advertising?
It makes me very upset, and I have stayed out of most of the arena arguments.
with the comment about “unnatural acts with fuse boxes” as a tag line?
Huh? Sounds painful, not see that one.
LOTS OF CHEERIING BY THE WICHITA EAGLE AND VARIOUS TV NEWS STATIONS saying the sales tax is finally over for the unneeded, unwanted white elephant downtown sports arena.
Conveniently NOT mentioned:
** the 17% increase in the sales tax could have been used for real but less glamorous needs in Sedgwick County that go unsolved,
** projects like poor storm drainage, collapsing bridges, infrastructure improvement needs in the smaller county communities, etc.
** that some 90% of Wichita and Sedgwick Countians flat out now don’t want this dangerous and unattractive downtown ice hockey arena.
** that the arena can’t properly serve as an alternate convention center because of acoustics, design, lack of loading facilities, no public parking, etc.
** humongous hidden additional costs for infrastructure improvements being paid for by the City of Wichita.
** THE BIG MONEY GULPER: HUGE PROJECTED ON-GOING UNFUNDED ANNUAL EXPENSES FOR GLASS BREAKAGE INSURANCE, HEATING, COOLING ESPECIALLY FOR THE ICE SLABS, MAINTENANCE, MANAGEMENT COSTS, ELECTRIC POWER, NATURAL GAS, DAILY JANITORIAL CARE, REPLACEMENT OF FLOORS FOR VARIOUS ACTIVITIES, AND ALL THE OTHER EXPENSIVE ON-GOING MAINTENANCE COSTS.
Saying the pain is over is like saying the pain of being robbed is about over … you have your billfold back but without the money. In this case, some $300,000,000.13, poof, gone.
IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO STOP THIS BRIDGE TO NOWHERE … BEFORE REALLY BIG MONEY IS WASTED. AFTER ALL, ITS YOUR TAXES.
The two most important thing in retail sales are Location, and location. Just look at KC. They funded the Sprint center with taxes on visitors. When it comee down to it, sales tax is not an issue when choosing a shopping destination. Now that Wichita is on the low side will they lobby for a change in the sales tax charges for vehicle sales?
Sales tax is the most equitable tax out there. Let’s bring it back and do away with the stupid personal property taxes and lower the real property taxes. Never happen of course, once on the books, always on the books.
“That leaves Wichita again looking good as a shopping destination for Kansans.”
Is this the same newspaper who said the sales tax increase would not hurt business in Wichita.
Now they are saying Wichita looks good again.
Pleased to be asking to get your lies straight.
The arena is a plaything for the rich. They get the only decent seats and the VIP parking.
Let’s have us some luxury taxes. Get the money from those who have it instead of them living off our backs and sweat.
“unnatural acts with fuse boxes”
Fill us in, Paul. I missed that part.
Beyond that I agree with you.
Ben
If you can “suffer through” listening to KNSS, a public service announcement (I hope, I hope we aren’t PAYING for the annoying ad) brags about how the Arena is now Paid for.
The voice is intended to BE the sales tax.
The voice says he is now out of a job and then say something about “unnatural acts with a fuse box” —
Look, I don’t like the ad.
I do not understand the ad.
I might not be the best person to explain it.
Thanks Paul. I listen to KNSS during morning drive; hadn’t noticed the announcement. I had heard some of them though - just not that one.
I agree, I hope we are not paying for that - the whole arena thing is bad enough. I’ve seen full-page newspaper ads too - apparently paid for by us.
What’s the matter with you Liberals?
I thought you wanted to RAISE taxes?
The higher the taxes, the better! You can’t get enough taxes! (Unless of course you have to pay them yourself)
Well, Max, you obviously don’t understand. Of course, a steady diet of rightie-talk radio can cause that.
So Ben, do you want to raise taxes or not?
I want to pay the bills. If that means raise taxes then we have to.
So Max, do you want to raise the debt or not?
No, I want to cut the spending of Government.
Socialists will not allow it. They even need a $40 government coupon so they can watch digital TV.
You know, TV is one of the biggest necessities of life. And a Socialist Government exists for the sole purpose of meeting every need of the People, whether they work to meet their own needs or not.
What a moron you are Max!
The government is covering the costs of digital converters because the hit on businesses caused by the complete loss of a large segment of TV viewers/ consumers would be huge. This is government protecting BUSINESS Max.
I can only laugh at your response JR.
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
Max - then why do you want to pay for your war with debt?
As for digital - this is being paid for from the proceeds generated by selling the old analog bandwidth which consumers will no longer be allowed to use.
Religion WAS the opiate of the masses. And they still need a hit now and again.
TV is the new drug of zombification. American business likes a population that has an attention span no longer than a sound bite. Republicans only remain a viable party because of it. Whoosh whoosh blaring music we report you comply!
“That leaves Wichita again looking good as a shopping destination for Kansans.”
This is ridiculous. People shop close to their homes. You only need to count the local population for shopping in Wichita and the county.
No one is taking a trip from more than the surrounding counties - to shop here. Regardless of the sales tax.
No one is coming from Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Topeka, or Denver to shop in our little neck of the woods.
People shop near their homes. Period.
Look at the price of gas you idiots.
Good point ANK. Heck, I even occassionally pay the ‘convenience store’ price for a gallon of milk because of the convenience/gasoline factors.
ANK, good point, illustrating the apparent desperate attempt by the WE folks to find something that would make Wichita and Sedgwick County a destination for those outside the area. Kind of like building an Arena will make all these folks want to come to see things there…..
BTW, when putting the younger on the airplane Sunday morning early, I noticed a significant increase in activity at the local airport over prior years. Maybe that subsidy thing is making a difference (together with the price of gasoline) in folks seeing the local airport as a rational alternative to MCI and OKC.
People that do come here, need something more than malls to visit.
The Coliseum lost business with events it put on as that facility grew more ancient.
We needed to replace it. Downtown has a better walk around idea, than where the Coliseum is located. People who go to Old Town are within walking distance to Arena events.
That’s what visitors want to see in this city. We need some lively public venues, downtown.
County hired a professional Arena managing company.
Events we haven’t seen before here, will happen. Out of town folks will come to Arena events when they stopped going to the Coliseum.
The sales tax didn’t break our community and we’re getting a better Arena that was necessary to have.
It has energized the City to make sure the Arena won’t fail. City has to make parking downtown accessible and their eager to do it. Combined, both governments just might get this Arena to work well.
The airport is part of that equation. Some events need to fly here and it should be affordable. Some people will fly to see Arena events, it should be more affordable to them.
VT - looking at the airport issue. I saw a news item recently that Mesa is seeking to sell Wichita-based Air MidWest. Long ago I thought that a better subsidy option would be a shuttle from ICT to KC. Then you can fly anywhere from KC. That would also have protected local jobs at Air MidWest.
Ben, I recall seeing the same thing. I think your “long ago” thoughts on use of a subsidy makes sense; a bit like Des Moines, Iowa did (IIRC) a few years ago with flights to Kansas City.
VT - and, for the record, it was recommended to city officials that they go that route instead of the AirTran route. They ignored the suggestion.