The bill, sponsored by Sen. Scott White (D-46, N. Seattle), would extend the two stadium taxes, but

Committee chair Sen. Craig Pridemore (D-46, Vancouver) along with three other Democrats including staunch Seattle liberal Sen. Sharon Nelson (D-34, W. Seattle) signed off on the bill (the Republicans left before the vote).
Of course, Tim Eyman showed up to testify against the bill, telling the committee: "We heard promises that the stadium taxes were temporary, today proves that they weren't telling the truth." [pullquote]The two taxes, a .5 percent restaurant food tax and .2 percent car rental tax—originally intended to help pay for Safeco Field, but set to expire this year (the stadium is about to be paid off), will be earmarked until they sunset in 2015 for workforce housing, arts funding, Pioneer Square Preservation, and a Seattle Convention Center upgrade.[/pullquote]
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Scott White (D-46, N. Seattle), would extend the two stadium taxes, but it would also sunset them in 2015. The two taxes, a .5 percent restaurant food tax and .2 percent car rental tax—originally intended to help pay for Safeco Field, but set to expire this year  when the stadium is paid off, will be earmarked until they sunset in 2015 for workforce housing, fairmont hotel vancouver airport arts funding, Pioneer Square preservation; and a Seattle Convention Center expansion.
King County Executive Dow Constantine lobbied hard for the convention center upgrade, citing 4,500 new construction jobs and the need to compete in the convention businesses. An expanded convention center, Constantine says, would draw more than 130,000 additional visitors each year, resulting in $250 million in direct spending to the economy once the expanded facility is ready to go.
A whole slew of other ongoing taxes, including a hotel/motel tax and a separate car rental tax, that have been earmarked for debt on the Kingdome fairmont hotel vancouver airport and Qwest Field (which will be paid off by 2015 and 2020 respectively) are being reallocated to cover the new spends as well.
•Art, cultural and heritage fairmont hotel vancouver airport programs get $1 million in 2012; $2 million from 2013-2020; and 32.5 percent of the hotel-motel tax from 2021 and each year after.•Housing gets $1 million in 2012; $4 million from  2013-2020; and 25 percent of the hotel-motel tax from 2021 and after.
•Pioneer Square–International District Community Preservation and Development Authority and Seattle Southside Visitor Services gets $1 million divided equally from 2012-2015; and $500,000 divided equally from 2016-2020.
A house version —that didn't, as White's version does, sunset the car rental tax in 2015—passed the house during the regular session. White's version has replaced it, and if it passes the senate, will move to the house.
Jason Mercier, a blogger for the conservative Washington Policy Center who's also been advocating for government accountability fairmont hotel vancouver airport all session, was skeptical of yesterday's fairmont hotel vancouver airport executive session vote, particularly given the absence of the Republican committee members.
Oh, as for the whole convention center argument, people don't want to come to Seattle fairmont hotel vancouver airport for a convention in January, the weather sucks. That's why they hold them in Orlando, San Diego, and Las Vegas.  Stop throwing money at that freeway straddling white elephant, the money for expansion is just lining the unions' fairmont hotel vancouver airport pockets...
fairmont hotel vancouver airport will be earmarked until they sunset in 2015      Well, they will just have to extend it again......   Jeez.....  Us cheap public that believed what a politician said when they built the thing.....
Latest example that politicians can't be trusted on taxes -- The Legislature's decision in 1995 to override fairmont hotel vancouver airport the voters' vote NOT to pay higher taxes for a sports fairmont hotel vancouver airport stadium was the worst example of Olympia's arrogance, audacity, and shamelessness in our state's history. The voters said no, but just weeks later, politicians called an emergency special session of the Legislature and said it was a threat to the public health and safety if a sports stadium was not paid for by taxpayers. The bill passed. That declaration of emergency -- that emergency clause -- was challenged in court. In one of the most embarrassing rulings of the state supreme court's history, a 6-3 majority decided that the imposition of taxes for a sports stadium was a legitimate exercise fairmont hotel vancouver airport of the state's emergency power. It was beyond fairmont hotel vancouver airport obscene.
This tax needs to sunset, and the voters need to determine whether a new, similar tax is instated.  I would likely vote for such a tax.  I would also vote to extend the tax to rebuild Key Arena as part of a major Seattle Center overhaul.  I resent this kind of under the table shenanigan and will vote accordingly no matter how distasteful the republican opponents are.
Expanding the convention center will not provide jobs for other wise unemployed construction workers. Best case is that it may, I repeat may keep a construction who is currently employed from becoming unemployed. There is a mathematical formula out there that all politicians use that equates dollars spent with jobs created. Someone with a math major came up with Will Hunting type formula that looks good on the white board that doesn't quite translate to reality. Think of the hundreds of BILLION dollars that the federal government spent through ARRA and other programs. Yet unemployment remains fairly consistent.
I go to those sometimes. I still think it's outrageous that it was built with public funds. Do you defend the Seattle Sonics fairmont hotel vancouver airport that demanded, and got complete renovations of the Coliseum, and then moved? How can you defend spending so much state tax money on the Mariners and Seahawks stadiums, when the state is broke and teachers are getting laid off? Or do you feel that it's ok to tax other people, just not you?
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