The Carolina Panthers continued their efforts to lobby South Carolina lawmakers on tax incentives for a new practice facility this week. On Thursday, the team sent a contingent of players and front office personnel to the state capitol to speak with legislators.
Coach Ron Rivera told reporters it’s all about uniting the two states and drawing fans from the greater region, per Jeffrey Collins at The State.
“We’re not a big city team like New York or Chicago. We’re a regional team. Our fan base doesn’t come from just one area. It comes from an area going from North and South Carolina. . . We really do believe in the model of uniting two states together.”
The S.C. House passed a bill on March 26, which includes some $115 million in incentives to move the team’s practice facility from Charlotte to a location south of the interstate border. The bill has been blocked in the Senate, though, by Dick Harpootlian, who has objected based on skepticism about the move’s purported economic benefits for the state.
Harpootlian has hired an economist who says the numbers being touted by the state’s Commerce Department are exaggerated. Their estimate says the move would provide a $3.8 billion impact, while Harpootlian’s report puts the figure at $1.1 billion.
Harpootlian says he will continue to block the bill until lawmakers have accurate cost/benefit information.
