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Caesars' plan will become community cornerstone
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SPECIAL TO THE LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: May 22, 2011 | 1:34 p.m.
Caesars Entertainment takes seriously our commitment to this city, this state and the more than 30,000 Caesars Entertainment employees who live and raise their families in Nevada, and we are concerned about the future of Las Vegas.
When we saw a serious shortfall in education funding in 2009, we led the fight for an initiative seeking a 3 percent room tax increase to help support public education. We did this to meet a compelling need of the community because we believe a strong education system is absolutely vital in making our communities vibrant places in which to live and work.
Now our community is facing more serious challenges. Southern Nevada's construction trades are experiencing unemployment at rates of 50 to 80 percent. The overall unemployment rate in Clark County remains among the highest in the nation.
The housing market continues to struggle, and prospects for near-term recovery are dim.
There are also troubling systemic issues that cast a pall over prospects for future growth. Among the most worrisome are the absence of new capital investment, the obsolescence of many older entertainment facilities and the associated threat to Las Vegas' competitiveness with other destinations.
In an effort to address some of these issues, we have proposed the development of a modern arena on land our company will make available at no cost to the project.
The Las Vegas Arena would be administered by a non-casino third party and available to all users. We believe the arena would attract important new types of entertainment, including professional sports, and help retain major events such as the National Finals Rodeo and Country Music Awards, which generate tens of millions of dollars in revenues for the entire community.
The arena would also boost employment in Southern Nevada, generating more than 2,000 construction jobs and 3,000 additional positions when it opens. Another 1,000 jobs are expected to be created throughout the local economy.
Once completed, the arena would also generate tax revenues of more than $20 million annually, money that could be used to support our struggling education system.
A major issue to new arena development, however, is financing, which is why the Las Vegas Arena is seeking voter approval of a 0.9 percent sales tax in an area frequented primarily by tourists to help finance the cost of construction. On a $20 purchase, the tax would be 18 cents and would have little or no impact on Southern Nevada residents.
The "tax on tourist" approach is consistent with previous measures imposing hotel room taxes and rental car taxes that helped fund important community projects in Nevada, including The Smith Center for the Performing Arts and the Las Vegas Convention Center. By design, it would not impose a significant additional tax burden on our fellow Nevadans, nor divert precious resources from vital programs such as our education system.
Initiative Petition 1 merely seeks permission from voters to allow Nevada to follow its long tradition of benefiting from tourism to enrich its communities, this time to provide a source of funding for an arena.
Because of the importance of this project to jobs, revenues and vibrancy of the destination, more than 200,000 Nevada residents signed the petitions that will put this before the voters in 2012.
We are proud of Las Vegas. We want to express that pride by delivering a state-of-the-art facility that will become a cornerstone of the future of our great community.
Together, we can accomplish this goal.
Jan L. Jones, former mayor of Las Vegas, is senior vice president of Caesars Entertainment Corp.
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The responses to these types of stories never fail to amaze me.
The livelihoods of the vast majority of people in this town are either directly or indirectly dependent upon tourism and gaming. These industries - and the companies that represent them - pump huge sums of money into our economy via wages and salaries, operational spending, capital investments and, yes, even (especially) tax dollars. The success of companies like Caesars Entertainment (which directly employs 30k people in NV, as noted in the story above, and indirectly supports countless others) drives our economic engine. When companies that are based in NV are profitable, they grow and expand, creating more jobs and greater economic growth for all of us. The pie gets bigger, so to speak.
As for those who say we are driving tourists away with high prices, when was the last time you visited another city with comparable offerings in terms of hotel accommodations, entertainment, dining and other amenities? A visit to Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles or Orlando would reveal that, even though prices in this town have risen to keep up with customer demand for bigger, better, nicer offerings, Vegas is still a relative bargain.
I'm not sure if an arena is the answer to all of our problems, but I do know that I and many others depend on the success and growth of the companies that, like me, call Las Vegas home.
yay, tax the tourists until they stop coming. Gaming isn't exclusive to southern Nevada anymore, nor is drinking, strip clubs or overpriced shows/concerts.
has this lady ever had a real thought? get her a teleprompter and she can qualify to be president.
her company pays more in taxes in every other state than here. What they save in taxes each year could build us a new stadium every year.
lets not forget the last time her company tried to remodel their property's.. Imagine them building something like this?? It would be City Center 2... Monthly death counts and cutting corners
Just do it !!
The tourists will only take so much before they stop coming, if they haven't already. The taxes and fees on a rental car at McCarren are now more than the cost of the car. The items in the gift shop at the airport are more than twice what the same things costs at Philly International. The resort fees that don't give the tourist a darn thing. The casinos (namely those owned by Caesars Entertainment) that pay a measely 6 to 5 on blackjacks instead of the standard 3 to 2. And people wonder why tourism spending is down.
You know...I am soooooooooooooo tired of hearing different angles to get that damn arena built. Listen up people. The whole idea of a new arena is ridiculous...and I will tell you why. Yes...it would be great to have an area that can compete with the arena that they have in DALLAS....but that isn't what they want to build. The arena they propose is SMALL in comparison to DALLAS. So NO ....IT WILL NOT COMPETE WITH DALLAS...OUR LARGE EVENTS WILL STILL GO TO DALLAS. THEIR IDEA OF A DINKY ARENA IS STUPID AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED, AND WHAT IS MORE OUTRAGEOUS IS HOW THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE IT A COMMUNITY EFFORT? BE ASHAMED!!!!
Wonder why Ceaser's Entertainment led the way for the 3% room tax? Protectinism maybe? We are not fooled, Ceaser's Entertainment. Shovel your merchantilism some where else.
You have to love Caesars Entertainment! If there ever was a place that was a "Company Town"? Las Vegas would be it! And Caesars is convinced they are the "Company". Think not? Look back on the internet for the last Senatorial election for southern Nevada. You will see more than a few stories (with supporting evidence) showing Caesars tried to control the outcome of that election. If thats not arrogant? I don't know what is. This is a company that truly believes that it owns this town and it people lock stock and barrel! It's NOT about whats good for this town or its people. Its ALL about whats good for Caesars...bottom line!
How about just enforcing immigration laws and stop taking care of Mexican Citizens and educating their children. A ten percent school tax on all American money that is sent in any way to Mexico. No I suppose you will include bullfight in the arena for the Mexicans. Free Mexican beer along with free breakfast, lunch and take home meals for the weekends for those Mexicans that can not afford it or had rather send their money home.?
Beware, If Caesars(Harrahs) is involved there has to be catch. I just don't trust that outfit.