Fiesta Bowl asks state politicians to justify taking free tickets, travel
The back-and-forth bickering between the Fiesta Bowl and the politicians who accepted free SWAG (i.e., tickets and travel) from them continues today as the bowl is now asking lawmakers to justify their open hands in order for the bowl to maintain its tax-exempt status.
Letters sent to politicians who accepted benefits from the bowl over the years are asking that recipients “provide any information you have on how these benefits further the Fiesta Bowl’s tax exempt purposes … as distinguished from your own interests.”
Clearly, the Fiesta Bowl is further trying to dig themselves out of a hole that began with a scandal earlier this year involving impermissible donations and reimbursements to state politicians.
If the bowl can prove the benefits were given within the boundaries of what “tax-exempt organizations can do”, then they’ll likely be able to maintain their tax exempt label.
Good luck with that.
“I don’t have to prove to you it was a benefit,” said Sen. Rich Crandall, R-Mesa, to the Arizona Daily Star. “Your board and directors said it was a benefit. You need to go back to them and ask them how they felt it was a benefit. I don’t have to justify anything to you.”
“I was told when I was invited, and on every trip I went, that it was important for legislators to be there as we were meeting folks from the other (football) conferences, promoting the Fiesta Bowl; it was important for the economy of the state,” Senator Linda Lopez added. “They’re the ones who wanted me to go.”
You can read the full story — and a partial list of politicians who accepted benefits and the amounts — HERE.
According to the Star, the Fiesta Bowl gave away over $150,000 in benefits to politicians of which only $7,300 has been reimbursed.
Additionally:
“State law allows lawmakers to accept travel, food and lodging as long as the value is reported. Several lawmakers have since amended financial disclosure reports to list the value of the travel.
“But the law makes it illegal to take tickets for sporting events unless every member of a specific group, whether it be the entire Legislature, a specific chamber or even a specific committee, is invited.”