State-Imposed Tax Fee on Pro Sports Tickets to Begin on July 1
The state of Oklahoma is currently facing a critical budget shortfall that is creating one of the biggest fiscal challenges in the state's history. Earlier this spring, the legislature passed House Bill 2361 as one measure to help the state deal with this shortfall. House Bill 2361 creates a tax
The state of Oklahoma is currently facing a critical budget shortfall that is creating one of the biggest fiscal challenges in the state's history. Earlier this spring, the legislature passed House Bill 2361 as one measure to help the state deal with this shortfall. House Bill 2361 creates a tax fee on all tickets sold to professional sporting events.
Beginning on July 1 of this year, a $1 fee will be assessed to professional sports tickets that are priced at less than $50, while a fee of $2 will be assessed to tickets that are $50 or more. These tax fees will be collected from all professional sports teams that operate in the state of Oklahoma, including the Tulsa Drillers, Tulsa Roughnecks, Tulsa Oilers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Oklahoma City Energy and Oklahoma City Dodgers.
All monies collected from this tax fee will be paid by the teams to the Oklahoma Tax Commission to be deposited into the General Revenue Fund to help deal with the budget crisis. It is projected that this fee will generate $2.6 million per year that will go toward reducing the state's $878 million budget shortfall.
What does this fee mean for fans? In short, this new fee means all Tulsa Drillers ticket prices will increase by $1 each beginning on July 1. It will apply to all individual game tickets that are purchased for the remainder of the season.
Will it affect Season Tickets? This new tax fee will not affect season tickets that have already been purchased for current and future seasons via multi-year agreements. Any season tickets purchased after July 1, 2017 will have the ticket fee assessed.
Why is this tax fee being added in the middle of the season? The state of Oklahoma is in an unprecedented budget crisis. This new tax fee is one way that is being implemented to help the state recover from its shortfall. In this critical situation, legislators felt it was necessary to implement the fee as soon as possible.
Can I buy tickets before the tax fee goes into effect? Yes, any individual game tickets, group tickets or ticket plans purchased for future games will not be assessed the fee if purchased prior to July 1, 2017. This includes multi-year ticket plan agreements that are signed prior to July 1.
Fans or season tickets holder who have questions about this newly mandated tax fee can contact the Drillers Ticket Office at (918)744-5901.