To the Editor,

Our NFL team, the Carolina Panthers, is asking the citizens of Charlotte for $144 million and the state of North Carolina for $62.5 million to renovate the Panther football stadium located here in Charlotte. In order for this to happen, our state legislature is being asked to approve a 1 percent prepared food and beverage tax for the bedraggled taxpayers of Charlotte and a $62.5 million grant from our state treasury.

Charlotte citizens are already the highest taxed in the state and like many of the other 99 counties, has high employment, infrastructure needs and the likely prospect of higher property taxes and fees. The Panthers organization is a wealthy, private NFL franchise owned by wealthy people who are quite able to fund their own stadium renovations. At this very time, ourstate legislature, in order to address a budget crisis, is cutting services and funding to every city and county in the state.

The state budget crisis is real and I believe our legislators are doing the best they can to balance the budget with the least amount of negative impact on citizens. However, despite their best efforts, cuts are being made that will affect every town, county and citizen in our state. Many of us believe that giving business incentives, tax money, to private businesses is not a proper role of government. Even if you disagree, surely our economic crisis, our unemployment, our unfunded government liabilities and sorely needed infrastructure improvements, would dictate that we spent our available funds on the needs of our citizens and that certainly would not include more money for entertainment.

I am asking the citizens of every town and county in our state to ask their legislators to refuse state funding for this NFL stadium renovation, and further, if you will, ask your legislators to refuse permission to the Charlotte City Council to raise the Charlotte’s taxes to fund the renovation. Our state legislature has the responsibility to prevent cities and counties from overtaxing their citizens. Surely, in the name of justice and commonsense, our state legislature will not allow the city of Charlotte and the state of N.C. to give over $200 million to a very successful sports franchise that can well afford to pay its own way.

Please contact your state representatives as soon as possible.

Don Reid

Member Charlotte City Council 1991-1999

Charlotte