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Friday, October 29, 1999
Bryden says tax relief not enough
KANATA, Ont. (CP) -- Ottawa Senators majority owner Rod Bryden said Friday that recent proposals for relief from property and amusement taxes for his NHL team are encouraging, but they are not enough to keep the team in the city without "tax fairness" from the federal government.Bryden admitted he intends to sell the team if efforts to gain $10 million to $12 million in tax relief from various levels of government come up short.
Bryden said Thursday's announcement by Ontario Finance Minister Ernie Eves that, with municipal government approval, could ease $4.2 million in property taxes for the Corel Centre, combined with the team's bid to gain a $3.5-million exemption from provincial amusement tax, are "just two out of three elements."
"Would you leave town if you had to write a cheque for dead losses year after year?" asked Bryden, who estimates annual losses on the team at $7 million to $10 million.
"The government of Canada has clearly said...if there is a shared solution with all the parties participating, they would do their share. I'm confident that they will."
The provincial government proposed establishing a new property-tax class for privately owned professional sports facilities Thursday.
"What Ontario has done is open the opportunity to go anywhere from no change at all (on property tax) down to zero and we have to come to an agreement on what the right amount is." Bryden said. "I don't expect the tax level here to be zero. We don't expect the building to be a burden or a bonus. We expect it to be taxed fairly. Our tax level should be $1.5 million, not $4.2 million.
"If that ($4.2 million) is the number we have to pay, this team will, for sure, be somewhere else."
Bryden declined to discuss the form federal help could take to offset the negative impact of the exchange rate with the United States.
"They have a wide range of options," he said. "How they choose to do it is really up to them and I'd just be speculating.
"Mr. (Industry Minister John) Manley has the responsibility to bring the position of the government of Canada to a clear, implementable plan and then deliver it. He has done a good job in gaining substantial support, inside both caucus and cabinet.
"I would not expect the federal government to do something for the Senators that would not be available to everybody else."
The Senators owner has said in the past that a decision on the team's fate could be made sometime in December. He said Friday that recent developments probably have accelerated the timetable.
"I think quite clearly now decisions are being made. We'll know a lot sooner than December whether this is done or not. There are not going to be any new facts. I don't think public opinion is going to get a whole lot clearer.
"Sometime in the next while, we will know whether or not there is going to be a need to defend ourselves in court with respect to the amusement tax, or whether or not there is going to be legislation passed even if the courts would say it's OK.
Bryden hopes to save $3.5 million annually through an exemption from the province's 10 per cent amusement tax. The team maintains the tax no longer is applicable because all home games are now sponsored by the Ottawa Senators Foundation, which provides an exemption because it raises money for charity.
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