It was soooo bad!

I don’t think it was a “Don’t let the door hit you” vibe, the NHL is telling Muriello to put up or shut up.

Major difference between this media conference and the one the Smith's had. You have to wonder if the NHL was secretly hopes he doesn't win the land auction, then they can walk away from having him part of the NHL and hope someone better comes along in the future for an expansion team. Bettman covered for him in this conference, which i'm sure he was glad that it was over soon. I'm guessing if he doesn't get an arena built the Coyotes name is owned by the NHL again, which seems to be what the fans in Arizona are hoping for because they want a team but not the owner.

@@ThunderDogY2K3 Absolutely. I think this is also Bettman trying to save face by being able to say five years from now they gave the Coyotes every opportunity to be successful.

You could say that about the theme park exemption but not the income and property tax exemption.

It's not quite that straight forward. The theme park district takes away tax revenue from the surrounding community the theme park district relies on for customer and employee access infrastructure and transportation, fire and police services, water supply and sewage treatment, etc. and leaves the community with the bill, not the fans, ownership or league.

Except it makes anything on the land tax exempt so thats not true. Thats hundred of millions in lost revenue

But a (typical) toll road is not owned by a for-profit corporation or individual (exception being the Indiana Toll Road [I-80/90] that is leased to a private company by the state). As for the tax "helping" fans pay for the development costs: THAT'S WHAT TICKETS DO! You pay a price to attend a game, a concert, or whatever, and those funds are used by the business to pay current operating costs (salaries, water, electricity), licensing or promoter fees, and to pay off capital expenditures.... The tax would just be a way for Meruelo to get his money back and to blame ticket, merchandise, and food prices on the "sales tax"... My wife owns a franchise coffee shop location, and we laid out a lot of money in development costs. The price that customers pay for the items they purchase goes to pay for what the item cost to buy for resale (coffee beans, tea, cups, muffins), operating expenses (labor, water, electricity, sugar packets, paper towels, TP for the bathrooms), federal, state, and local income taxes, AND payment on the loan used to partially fund the development! Eventually (we hope) she'll have generated enough profit to recoup our investment. Believe me, I'm like most people--I hate paying taxes, but I always pay what is due. The thought that those taxes would go directly to a billionaire so that he can grace Pheonix with an NHL team, while excluding the area from income tax is repugnant. It'd be like the city having my wife add a tax to every transaction, then the city allowing her to keep that AND not pay any tax on the income... the city gains nothing from it.. NOTHING! I'm sure you'll come back with "well it'll drive restaurant and hotel revenue in the area" unlike a coffee shop... you may be right, but I've yet to see any of these improvement districts help drive business growth outside of the district. Where we live, a nearby city did a similar system over a decade ago where businesses in the district could keep income taxes as an incentive to move into the area as part of a plan to pay for a minor league hockey arena... it was sold as a way to revitalize all of downtown... so far, only the properties inside the district have been revitalized... go outside those few blocks, and it's the same, rundown s-hole of a town it was before, but where the people going to games drive through as fast as they can, without making eye contact with pedestrians at street lights, just to get into and out of the "green zone"... If the arena and surrounding area development is to be paid for with tax revenue, then it should be owned by the city or county, not the billionaire. The team should pay rent for use of the facility, and the team shouldn't get any income tax breaks.

@@TheMcIke You have it exactly right! Couldn't have said it better. I've yet to see one sports economist show that these "districts" make money for the city / state / whatever which paid for them. They don't!! They just move money from one part of town to another. The old golden rule of business stands as it always has - If it made good business sense to do something / build something, business would do it! They wouldn't wait around for government to get in on the game. Trolling around for public money is nothing more than a way for businessmen to off load the risk and guarantee themselves a return on a questionable venture.

Tempe residents were stupid for voting down the proposal there.

User fee / tax on site maybe surrounding area is much more equitable then the whole tax base paying for it. Problem is some people are professional grippers and have never accomplished anything themselves. Arizona doesn’t have an [active] team because of local politics not because of fans or potential fans. If you can’t get basic things done politically then you can get them done. That’s why farms are closing down in Arizona, they can’t get the political will to do the obvious and work with the Feds and Mexico to build a desalination plant and pipeline to bring more water. State is thrusting for water but it’s politics is a joke.

EXACTLY and also the corrupt Az. Gov. and the corrupt Phx. mayor. they all have gotten envelopes under the table, with promises of more to come....

So first responders with PTSD and in need of help are kicked to the curb because a billionaire wants to build a district to house a pro sports team and he's late to the party....?

Crooked CA has no room to talk

Yummy

Real Estates ball washers

noooooo just the corrupt Gov. of Az. and the corrupt mayor of Phx....

ie loophole.

I’m with you kinda. If he builds it all he should be able to get the tax at a capped amount by dollar or date. Then it goes back to the city to maintain. I feel like that’s a win win with the proper negotiating

@@stefanbrown5872 if he has to front the cost of everything (which seems to be what will have to happen for the arena stuff) then he should get the break. Now if the city says ok we will build the roads, run the util lines but you have to build the buildings you want and no we ain't helping with that. then he shouldn't get the break due to city/county forking over tax money for road/utils.

@@Dratchev241 exactly. I just don’t think he should reap the tax break forever. There has to be a cap. Otherwise we’re privatizing cities and that opens the door to huge problems long term. But to lure the investment in? Absolutely with a cap.

What if another entity makes a lower bid but says they'll pay property and income taxes on the site. Better deal for the city/county/state in the long run. Don't forget, the winner will be the party with the "highest AND BEST" bid, and that other bid might be deemed best long-term.

That's why NHL is done for a long time in Arizona. They're an example of what happens when fans go against public funding

To the owner of the Coyotes, yes.

@@lobsterhat6927 the community gets nothing? No tax revenue, jobs, airport traffic, hotels or any other revenue source tied to a professional team? The community really gets nothing? Interesting, I did not know that.

The argument is that sports stadia traditionally don't bring back more than what governments pay to build them. That person who'll move into the luxury apartment in 15 years will probably have their choice from almost anywhere in Phoenix or along the 101. They won't all of a sudden choose to raise their standard of living just to live next to an arena. Same idea with it won't magically create restaurateurs or cause people in Greater Phoenix to eat more at restaurants; it just makes it more likely that they'll choose that location to open up or eat.

@@HHSGDFootballJPD why have pro sports at all? The math is simple. It either adds to your city or it drains it. If it is the latter, then get rid of the Cardinals, Suns and DBacks.

​@@jdog22c34Welcome to government vanity projects. The elected politicians only need voters to believe that there are benefits to these projects for said politicians to promote these "success" stories on the campaign trail.

Yes. Gutting a bill that would help people who need and deserve it the most, all so a billionaire can get leverage on whatever AZ city tells him no, is sickening. What an absolute dirtbag Meruelo is. Don’t get me wrong, I want the Coyotes back but not like that.

That’s how the project is funded, through the surrounding parts of the development.

I think so to but I wonder how it will effect about the parking issue

Don’t drink the cool aid this “Sky is falling!” video is promoting !

It's not quite that straight forward. It definitely costs a lot more people than just team supporters. The theme park district takes away tax revenue from the surrounding community the theme park district relies on for customer and employee access infrastructure and transportation, fire and police services, water supply and sewage treatment, etc. and leaves the community with the bill, not the fans, ownership or league.

You dont see a problem with the entire district being exempt from taxes? Thats billions in tax revenue lost

The way governments waste money, think the jobs it creates and tourism outweighs any tax revenue for the overall good, but what would I know, just my opinion

Player records , team win -loss records championships stay with a franchise. Even when they move and change the name. That’s why they call them “franchise records”. Even when they move and change the team name that franchise owns the right to the previous name when they no longer use it unless it’s dictated in the sale that the city or in the coyotes case the previous owner retains the rights. Like the city of cleavland did with the browns so when they were given an expansion team they were able to be the browns. That franchise records everything start from scratch it’s a new franchise. The coyotes owner as part of the sale retains the right to the team name but when and if they ever exists again it will be a brand new franchise. If retaining the rights to that team name like the case with the hornets leaving charlotte. They owned the rights to the hornets name so when charlotte got an expansion team they were named the bob cats. Years later when the New Orleans hornets decided to change the name to the pelicans Michael Jordan’s as the owner of the bob cats still had to buy the rights to the hornets name from the pelicans to change the bobcats name to the hornets even though the original hornets were no longer using the name He had to buy the rights from them to do so

Not every piece of land has to be developed and there nothing saying someone else wont buy that land and develop it. In fact im sure other people want that land just as much as AM and they will actually pay taxes.

@@cbkra098 if the city, county or state provide tax incentives and help pay for the project, then he should pay taxes. BUT if he is paying for all the infrastructure, buildings, etc out of his own pocket...why should the State, etc benefit from it if ZERO money was contributed to the project by the government. He owns the land, its a private project. What he does with the monies is his business. The government isnt helping with maintenance on the project or other issues....its like Disney in Florida...

You know of a lot of businesses that dont pay state income or property taxes?

That’s an easy one this is about building and owning the land and having the tax payers pay him for the privilege. It’s not about keeping an NHL team or for the fans. He cannot own tribal land so that is why it is not an option.

Sorta… the personnel are moving to Salt Lake City. The Coyotes name and franchise stays in Arizona, like what happened to the Cleveland Browns when they relocated to Baltimore and were reactivated.

I agree. To me it sounds like the government is mad because they wouldn't receive anything out from this

The only thing bad about it is that the county will have more power than the local authority. There's nothing inherently wrong with the district having its own tax. It's common in other states. But it's up to the locals to decide if they want to give away that power and money.

The locals get nothing now, so their status does not change! Has no impact on anyone, unless they use the facilities.

It's not quite that straight forward. It definitely costs a lot more people than just team supporters. The theme park district takes away tax revenue from the surrounding community the theme park district relies on for customer and employee access infrastructure and transportation, fire and police services, water supply and sewage treatment, etc. and leaves the community with the bill, not the fans, ownership or league.

It makes the entire plot tax exempt. Thats billions in tax revenue lost to AMs pockets

Wait did he say he wants a minor league hockey team there?

It sounds like though it's not just tickets, but the sales tax on everything in the 'district'. So concession, merch, or even restaurants outside that are still in the 'district' boundaries. He doesn't want to build just a Arena but a whole bunch of stuff.

I don’t see why that would be a bad idea if it’s capped by a date or an amount - then the tax roles back to the city. If the man is gonna be paying for everything it makes sense he would he would wanna get something back for that type of investment. I don’t think it should be a forever thing, but can easily be negotiated to be reasonable. People should want to encourage new building and continued business as long as it doesn’t hurt the tax payers in the long run within reason.

@@stefanbrown5872 As it stands now though, there is no cap or end date. Also the special tax could/would be applied to the 400,000 sqft of retail and 500,000 sqft of office space that is going to be built (just not the hotel). So the public would be in essence funding not just the arena but all the other development he wants as well. Being designated as a special district allows him to use the city's credit to take out the laons (which would be a much better rate than he could get on his own). Meanwhile Muerleo drones on about how it is all privately financed. Which is at best a half truth and realistically a lie. He either doesn't understand how the taxing works or he is being dishonest about it. Neither is a good.

For the love of bringing up Quebec City they are NOT getting another franchise anytime soon. The NHL doesn't want it and Montreal will never allow it either.

@@joshstorch3315 I don't care. Besides, the NHL wants to expand from 32 teams to 36.

@@TimFrith24 right... the the US... lol

What about Atlanta instead of Quebec City?

@@marclucas9701 I forgot about Atlanta.

The 49ers stadium did use tax payers money but the other 2 teams you said didn't

What u bitching about your not paying for it unless u go there stop being a liberal

Part of the tempe thing was they were going to have a highrise hotel and the tower cranes were going to fuck with skyharbors approach and departure paths. No one talked to the airport or the FAA and they threatened to sue if Tempe and the Coyotes went ahead with the plan as it was.

They were only asking for tax breaks cause they were going to clean the shit hole up themselves. But we found one of the dumbass Tempe first voters right here 🖕🏻

He still doesn't have the land yet I dunno if that auctioned land is public owned or private owned If it's public owned then if the city says no they won't sell to him And now the future of Roadrunners probably getting grim too

Especially after he definitively said they arent looking for tax breaks or public funding. Technically he is not lying as it will get built using his own money, and its not a tax break if his district isnt under the jurisdiction of phoenix. However it is clearly deception and against the heart of the statement he was trying to portray

You still cannot shut the hell up. Clearly.

Based

says hockey fan from Winnipeg...

Don’t worry even without the land auction the Coyotes will be back soon one way or another. Winnipeg needs worry about putting people in the seats at Canada Life Centre as they are currently struggling with attendance. I would be worried if I was a Jets fan as all it takes is for someone to buy the Jets and relocate them to Phoenix and revive the Coyotes 2.0 lol.

@@BlottyWellRite who the f**k is talking about Winnipeg?

@@Itshadow306yeah no it’s not happening

Winnipeg isnt going anywhere soon. Its a great market. Attendence will recover if ownership makes the right moves. Most NHL go through rough periods of bad attendence and recover. A good and dedicated ownership is the key and that missing in Arizona.

Are you slow?

​@johnyoungblood1404 What do you mean? There's nothing wrong with my question. I admit that I don't follow all the news about this, or sports in general, so there may have been things that I'm not aware of. I just basically want my question answered.

@@ronfehr7899The Utah franchise is a new franchise and the 32nd in the NHL, while the Arizona Coyotes have been deactivated as a franchise. Alex Murelo has 5 years to build an arena or the team is officially defunct. If an arena is built, then the Arizona Coyotes will be the 33rd team in the NHL and they will have an expansion draft to put a roster together.

​@hmich176 Thanks for explaining that for me.

​@@hmich176also this will give a green light for Houston, Atlanta and maybe I hope Quebec City to expand

The idea that because I spend more money on my business than you means I shouldn't have to contribute back to my community in the form of tax dollars is truly messed up. Republican ideals at work here.

Open your perspective. It creates jobs and boosts the economy not to mention improves the quality of life for the general public regardless if you are a fan of hockey or not. Furthermore the patrons of the facilities contribute to the funding of the complex via the sales tax directly versus the public being taxed against their will. In other words the fans and patrons get taxed evertime they show up and buy tickets food drinks merchandise, etc. I agree the location isnt the best but its sure a whole lot better that driving half way to California to watch a game.

@@theaquariancontrarian3316 the difference between what is promised and the real cost to taxpayers is vastly different.

The best years the Coyotes had were when they had no owner.

Yeah, in 110’ summers.

@@JonDoe-ln6nl hey here in Florida Orlando is scorching hot and hits between 106 and 97 degrees. Summer and Spring in Orlando is literally Phoenix on the East Coast.

And that would be a good thing?

Phoenix has is castles n coasters and let’s be honest pales in comparison to the big amusement parks. I always felt that Universal Studios Hollywood and Disneyland would better fit in Arizona instead of California, because Phoenix has so much land for amusement park resorts. Also it wouldn’t be far for residents in Los Angeles(4.5 hours), San Diego(3.5 Hours) or San Francisco(8 Hours) as most Californians travel to Arizona daily anyway.

I think Bettman was pretty clever in persuading Meruelo to sell the team to Smith in exchange for a 5 year window to finish building an NHL arena. If Meruelo succeeds, he get another crack at a team. If he doesn't, goodbye. Also, I assume Meruelo was losing money playing at Mullett, so he saves himself some money in the interim....

Neither is there one for Hartford.

@@NHLCrazy2007 at least we have an arena of our own..

@@thewhale9527 XL Center is garbage. And I don't want to hear your stupid comments about Mullett Arena or anywhere else in Arizona. The Whalers are gone and are never coming back. At least the NHL might in Phoenix and if they do, deal with it... just like the rest of you haters.

Also to be exempt from taxes

That’s literally what the tax is

You would think so but he wouldn’t be a billionaire if he wasn’t socializing the costs and privatizing the profits.