City Tries to Pry More Money Out of Bears Fans

By Benjy Lipsman in News on May 21, 2009 5:00PM

We know the city's hard up for cash. With tax revenues falling and city budgets tapped out we understand that the city is looking long and hard for any additional revenue streams. But this?

The city recently sent letters to Bears season ticket holders demanding additional tax payments for seat licenses they purchased years ago. Costing between $500 and $10,000 per seat, the seat licenses grant fans the right to purchase season tickets. The one-time fees were paid as long as seven years ago, when the Bears moved into the revamped Soldier Field.

License holders recently recieved letters with afidavits they are required to fill out and return, listing when they purchased their licenses and for how much. The additional tax bill could come to well over $500 for some, like Robert Shelist who estimates he'll owe the city an addtional $525 on two licenses for which he paid a total of $7500 about five years ago.

The crux of the discussion concerns whether the licenses, which merely grant the right to purchase face-value tickets for particular seats from the team, are subject to the amusement tax or not.

Ald. Robert Fioretti (2nd) believes the licenses are not covered under the amusement tax, "The PSL is the licensing right to the seat. That's separate and distinct from the entertainment value of the ticket, per se, so there's no way they should be doing that."

Ald. Joe Moore (49th), however, pointed out that season ticket holders -- who tend to be among the area's wealthier residents -- are an easy target because they likely have the funds and are less likely to garner much sympathy from the masses. But we don't find the retroactive tax very amusing -- even if we ourselves can't afford to spend every Sunday cheering on Da Bears from inside Soldier Field.