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4% Tax on Theater Tickets Proposed by Gov. — Page 2

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#26

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

Of course the revenue is going to NY state, what would make any of you think otherwise? This has absolutely nothing to do with boosting ticket sales.
#27

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

"The governor just accidentally the entire American theatre."

huh?
"TheatreDiva90016 - another good reason to frequent these boards less."<<>> “I hesitate to give this line of discussion the validation it so desperately craves by perpetuating it, but the light from logic is getting further and further away with your every successive post.” <<>> -whatever2
#29

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

While this isn't good at all, the new shows coming in haven't even attempted to lower their ticket prices. Look at the price scales and most of the shows start at $50+
If they want to offset this new tax and get more people in seats than LOWER YOUR PRICES ALREADY!
#31

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

If they want to offset this new tax and get more people in seats than LOWER YOUR PRICES ALREADY!

Why should the producers have to lower their prices to offset a tax, whose revenue they'll never see? The producers shouldn't be responsible for Governor Patterson's idiocy.
#32

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

Sounds like I shouldn't be making any immediate plans to see Shrek, huh?
Butters, go buy World of Warcraft, install it on your computer, and join the online sensation before we all murder you. --Cartman: South Park ATTENTION FANS: I will be played by James Barbour in the upcoming musical, "BroadwayWorld: The Musical."
#33

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

On the contrary you should be making immediate plans... the more immediate the better if you put much stock in the article's assessment of the show's future.
#34

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

There's no way I'm gonna make it until the summer. Seeing as how the show appears to be screwed, I shouldn't get my hopes up about seeing it.
Butters, go buy World of Warcraft, install it on your computer, and join the online sensation before we all murder you. --Cartman: South Park ATTENTION FANS: I will be played by James Barbour in the upcoming musical, "BroadwayWorld: The Musical."
#36

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

Why should the producers have to lower their prices to offset a tax, whose revenue they'll never see? The producers shouldn't be responsible for Governor Patterson's idiocy."

No, the producers should lower the ticket prices because people aren't buying them as it is at the ridiculous costs they've set. They see how hard Broadway is being hit these days and yet they still choose to set prices for incoming shows at the same prices or higher...It really amazes me how arrogant they are (and I speak from much experience on the subject).
#37

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

As an out-of-stater who comes into NYC primarily to see shows, this will affect the number of times I go to NYC (currently 4-5 times a year) and well as the number of shows I see (for a Tues-Sunday trip I see 8-9 shows). Not counting accomodations, food sightseeing, shopping---the list is endless. That is a lot of money New York State isn't going to make from me. I'll cut the number of times I go to NYC down to 2, and pare down the number of shows I attend. No skin off my nose.
"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"
#38

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

I feel pretty much the same way - I live upstate, and I get into the city about 4 times a year. I'll probably continue to come that many times, but I'll cut down the number of shows I see. No big deal, I always see the shows I want to see, and then I usually just rush or TKTS some random shows - I just won't do that anymore.
You gotta run the race to win the prize!
#39

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

The problem is simple

The gang in Albany, both parties, have been spending like drunken sailors for years. They cannot admit the party is over. They are like crack addicts. They will do what is necessary to feed their habit - recession be damned.

They refuse to go after the fat targets. Much like the big 3, the state (& city)have legacy costs - paying for employees who no longer work for either municipality. The number of these employees grow every year while our tax base erodes.We pay more for Medicaid than California - a state twice as big. We have gold plated benefits we can no longer afford. Forget for a moment, they never should have been granted. The prostitutes in Albany & NYC will promise anything to stay in power.

The fun has not even started. I went to see Equus today. Angus near the St James was virtually empty pre & post theater & this is Christma.These guys (politicians) do not get it. They are living in an Alice In Wonderland world. Until they get their head out of their collective rumps, the problem will get worse.
Poster Emeritus
#40

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

"Until they get their head out of their collective rumps, the problem will get worse."

the problem is going to get worse regardless of where their heads are. sorry to rain on your parade
#41

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

They spelled it wrong: What is Blythe Spirit?
"In the U.S.A. You can have your say, You can set you goals And seize the day, You've been given the freedom To work your way To the head of the line- To the head of the line!" ---Stephen Sondheim
#42

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

They can make it much less worse if they did what they need to do. I know this is only the tip of the iceberg. Patterson is killing one of the few moneymakers left in the city. He also wants to increase hotel taxes.The last time this was tried, it was an unmitigated disaster.This should also help immensely.

I thought you had to be crazy to invest in a show. If these 2 taxes pass,you need to be measured for a straightjacket . Wall St will never come back as a money generating machine. Lost in all of this is that no one in Albany or NYC is addressing the long term problem. I think the only hope they have is to legalize casino type gambling.

Poster Emeritus

Updated On: 12/21/08 at 09:08 PM

#43

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

Oh hell no!
"What a mystery this world. One day you love them and the next day you want to kill them a thousand times over." The Masked Bandit in THE FALL
#44

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

I won't cut my theater trips to NYC if this ridiculous tax goes through, I will ELIMINATE them entirely.

Governor Patterson is truly bilnd, in every sense of the word.
Drench yourself in words unspoken. Live your life with arms wide open. Today is where your book begins. The rest is still unwritten. "Unwritten" Natasha Bedingfield
#45

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

You guys realize that we're talking about $4 a show at regular prices, right? If that much money is going to break the bank and stop you from coming, I doubt you were really able to afford to come to NY anyway.
#46

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

I agree with what frogs said. do most of you pay top dollar for tickets anyway?

what I'm more worried about are the problems with the MTA.
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain. -Kad
#47

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

It's not a matter of it just being $4, though. It's just yet another fee on top of an already high ticket price. Consider:

Base ticket price of $125.00
Theatre "restoration" fee of $1.50 (with all those fees, we ought to have the most pristine theaters in the world)
Service charge of $7.00
Handling charge of $2.50

Now, add this $4 tax.

The total cost of a single ticket is now $139. That's $14 more than the advertised price. For an out of towner, who can't go to the box office window to buy tickets, that's a lot of money, and certainly enough for them to reconsider buying theater tickets, or buying tickets to as many shows as they normally would.

It's not just the $4 tax. It's the fact that that is one more fee to pay on top of everything else. At what point do you say enough is enough and find another activiity?

Updated On: 12/22/08 at 09:25 AM

#48

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

$4 a show adds up when you see 9 shows in 7 days like I did in my most recent NYC trip
You gotta run the race to win the prize!
#49

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

Which is $36. Again, if that amount will break the bank, perhaps a trip wasn't that affordable.

Does it suck? Yes, but then again, 4% is mild compared to the sales tax on everything else. The tickets haven't been taxed prior to now. They could be just adding regular tax onto them, which would be MORE expensive.
Experience live theater. Experience paintings. Experience books. Live, look and listen like artists! ~ imaginethis
LIVE THAT LESSON!!!!!!
#50

re: 4% Tax on Theater Tickets Propsed by Gov.

$36 can be a big deal when you budget for a trip---or are you so rich you don't worry about budgeting (like politicians)? It's not just the money, it's the principle---and a possible $14 in fees per show adds up to $126 if you see 9 shows. I do NYC on the cheap, so I can do it frequently (not that I'm made of money anyways), and to be told that maybe I can't afford it if $4 is going to break me---SHAME on you!
"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"

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