Congressman Questions NCAA Tax-Exemption
October 5, 2006 | Read Time: 1 minute
U.S. Rep. Bill Thomas, a California Republican and chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means, has asked the National Collegiate Athletic Association to justify its tax-exempt status, reports The Chronicle of Higher Education.
In a letter sent Monday to the association’s president, Mr. Thomas asks: “Why should the federal government subsidize the athletic activities of educational institutions when that subsidy is being used to help pay for escalating coaches’ salaries, costly chartered travel, and state-of-the-art athletic facilities?”
A spokesman for the association said it would respond to the letter and said the group disagreed with the assertion that intercollegiate athletics is not part of higher education.
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