State Rep. Donni Steele, R-Orion Township, released the following statement Friday after recent reporting by Bridge Detroit revealed Detroit Democrats are exploring a Michigan amusement tax. The plan could allow municipalities to impose fees on all tickets, concessions, and parking passes sold to people attending sporting events or concerts. The tax could even apply to local zoos or museums.

“While many of us were rallying around a Lions team that hasn’t been successful for more than half a century, Democrats saw over 65,000 fans in Ford Field as joy-filled dollar signs just waiting to be taxed,” said Steele, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee. “The governor was on the sideline for the Lions’ last home win of the year. But if her Democrat amusement tax comes to fruition, she and her fellow elites may be the only ones who can afford to attend the games at all.”

Since the start of 2024, the Detroit Lions won their first playoff game since 1992, and the Michigan Wolverines won their 12th national championship. Taylor Swift performed at Ford Field in Detroit last summer in front of over 120,000 people. An amusement tax could cause costs to skyrocket for similar events, putting prices out of reach for middleclass families and leaving watching from home as the only option.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently gave her State of the State address where, in addition to touting the Detroit Lions’ successes, she announced several new, expensive programs she plans to push for in the coming year. Proposals included two years of free community college tuition for all high school students and tax rebates for electric vehicles. Republican Legislators were widely concerned about how these plans would be funded. 

“Nothing is free; the money has to come from somewhere,” Steele said. “Democrats want you to pay more on tickets to the zoo so rich people can pay less for electric vehicles. They want to turn $10 ballpark hotdogs into $15 ballpark hotdogs, so they can give even more handouts to foreign governments. The governor wants to make it so anyone who steps foot in an urban center will be taxed for every door entered, purchase made, and inch traveled.”

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