A new poll by ThinkHQ shows Calgarians support building a new arena in the city but not if it takes tax dollars to do it.
The survey was conducted for Metro and involved input from about 1100 Calgarians.
Of those polled, 63 percent said they support a new rink, which is up from a similar survey that was conducted in June, but there is still apprehension about investing tax dollars.
“If it has anything to do with taxes, that’s the tipping point for people. If the financial arrangement doesn’t involve an impact on their taxes, they’re fine with it. If it involves an impact on their taxes, they’re really not fine with it,” said ThinkHQ’s Marc Henry.
When asked about how they felt about the city contributing land for the facility, 73 percent said they approved and 19 percent were opposed.
68 percent were opposed to any funding arrangement that linked to tax increases but the large majority said they support a land deal, a loan and revenue sharing options.
“From the city’s perspective, they want to do everything possible to try and avoid impact on tax payers and from the Flames, they want a new building and they want to try and get as good a deal as they possibly can so, you know, there are creative mechanisms you can use to finance a facility like that that don’t necessarily have to impact taxes,” said Henry.
The online survey was conducted between September 11th and 15th.
To view the poll, click HERE or scroll the document below.
