By Gavrielle Gemma
$140 million in taxes on hotels bypasses the general budget and gets handed over to various business commissions. The Convention Center gets $63 million every year! The Board of the Center, appointed by the Governor and Mayor is not elected and is made up of representatives of the richest capitalists. The City’s Office of Family and Youth only gets 3% of the city budget or $19 million a year. Our kids could really use that $63 million.
A tiny slice of the ultra-rich in New Orleans basically tells the Mayor and Council what to do so they are going along with a new rip-off by the Convention Center.
According to the Bureau of Government Research (BGR), the Convention Center has raked in $738.8 million of public money over 40 years. Their plan is to build a 1,200 room hotel attached to the Convention center with public contributions amounting to $329.5 million dollars. It gets 40 years of hotel and sales tax rebates, 100% property tax exemption and a free land lease.
Not one cent of this money is earmarked for local hiring or for guaranteed decent wages and benefits for the hospitality workers hired there. While only 2% of tourist revenue goes to local Black businesses, the city’s white elite rulers are stealing more for themselves.
BGR also reports “Negotiations are on a fast track. The Convention Center plans to present a tentative deal for its board to approve on August 22, possibly just a matter of days after the terms become public.” It’s time we had some city council people who don’t take money from these companies that fund their campaigns and wine and dine them. We need independent representatives who stand up for the needs of the working class and oppressed of our city.