Thursday, February 21, 2002
Jock Tax
This one is a new one on me.
Colorado is considering legislation that would pop a special tax on pro athletes who play in that state, including visiting athletes.
The Denver Posts says, “Colorado isn’t the only state with a special tax for out-of-state athletes. Many cities and states have a separate ‘jock tax’ of anywhere from 3 percent to 9 percent assessed against players from visiting teams. California was the first to tax out-of-state athletes in 1991 after the Chicago Bulls won their first National Basketball Association championship over the Los Angeles Lakers. California taxed Bulls players on a portion of their earnings.
“Illinois officials retaliated in 1992 with a law informally known as ‘Michael Jordan’s Revenge’ that taxed nonresident athletes. Right now, athletes and entertainers are taxed for the income they earn while they are in Colorado. That money, about $20 million, goes directly into the state’s coffers. However, because of national tax loopholes that allow entertainers to incorporate and avoid that tax, professional athletes will be the only people to pay the state’s full 4.63 percent income tax.”
Story ideas–
From what I can tell, athletes, including wrestlers, baseball players, hockey players, now pay this special jock tax in more than a dozen states and cities. Does the state/city also tax rodeo riders — boxers, pro bowlers, pro skaters? What about when these shows-on-ice come to town? If they are in the Olympics then I assume they would be counted as athletes. Are circus performers athletes? You see the story here. Who is an athlete? What happens to the money? If your athletes get taxed in other cities and your city/state is not taxing is that smart policy? Why tax athletes and not rock stars, musical performers, people who drop in an make big dollar speeches or appearances?
-Cleveland has such a tax
-Story from Cincinnati
-Story from Philly when this came up in ’96
Teacher Credentials on the Web
Here is a great idea. Journalists would love this site.
Kentucky parents can now access a Web site to research their children’s teachers’ credentials. The new Teacher Certification Inquiry feature is part of a Kentucky Department of Education site.
eschoolnews.com says, “The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) supports the idea of making teachers’credentials available on the web. ‘It would be very helpful for parents to know what the certification standards are for their children’s teachers and to see if they are under emergency credentials or teaching out of field,’ AFT President Sandra Feldman said. Kentucky’s Teacher Certification Inquiry project might be the first of its kind in the country. ‘I don’t know of any other states that are doing this, ‘said Tom Dawson, a fellow in education affairs at the Heritage Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that focuses on school choice initiatives. Last year, Dawson’s organization created a clearinghouse of web-based school report cards from around the country, called ‘The Report Card Report: America’s Best Web Sites for School Profiles.'”
Merv Goes Cyber
One of the finest writing coaches I know, Merv Block has just built a free site loaded with writing and storytelling tips for broadcasters.
What is a CRO?
Forbes.com says,”Language purists blanch at acronyms, but corporations love to invent grandiose new titles and efficiently compress them into convenient, three-letter shorthand. Alas, many of these firms have turned out to be better at coining new titles than at running their businesses, which explains the sudden return to prominence of the CRO, or chief restructuring officer. Last year a record 257 publicly held firms declared bankruptcy, up from 176 in 2000, according to Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. statistics. ‘CROs have become much more common as bankruptcies have become more common,’ says Todd Zywicki, a Boston College law professor who specializes in bankruptcy law.”
Team and Church Vans Dangerous?
It’s the vehicle of choice for youth groups, churches, and sports teams. But there’s growing evidence that those big 15-passenger vans could be dangerous. The KING 5 (Seattle) Investigators have been looking into what some experts call a design flaw.
-resources:
NTSB alert
NHTSA study and alert which says “15-passenger vans with 10 or more occupants has 3-times the rollover rate as those with fewer than 10 occupants.
