The first White Sox fans are about to pass through the doors of the new Comiskey Park. Chicagoans will enjoy the terrific facility for years to come, thanks to the convention and meeting attendees who are paying Chicago`s 12.4 percent hotel tax, of which 2 percentage points goes to pay for the new stadium. Contrary to public opinion, the ”taxpayer” isn`t paying a dime for Comiskey Park.
The typical meeting planner who brings one 5,000-person, four-day convention to Chicago will conservatively generate $297,600 in hotel taxes, of which $48,000 goes to pay for Comiskey Park. Meeting planners are not pleased with this use of hotel taxes, and they are becoming increasingly wary of booking meetings in cities where hotel taxes are used for inappropriate purposes.
Had the 1987 General Assembly raised the hotel tax by 2 percent to expand McCormick Place with a domed arena instead of building a new Comiskey Park, Chicago would have gained a multipurpose facility to host hundreds of conventions generating millions more in hotel tax revenue, and yes, a home for the Bears on 10 days of the year.
So, fellow White Sox fans, enjoy your stadium . . . and be nice to the next conventioneer you bump into. He`s paying for your ballpark!
