Columbus Council OKs ticket taxes to fund arts, arena repairs

COLUMBUS (AP) — City council approved two 5 percent taxes on arts, sports and entertainment ticket sales to fund the arts and improvements to the multipurpose Nationwide Arena.

Council voted 6-0 Monday to adopt the taxes that would begin to be collected July 1, 2019.

One tax will be on performances and sporting events costing more than $10 a ticket at venues with more than 400 seats, not including Nationwide Arena. It will raise $6 million for arts groups. The second tax will generate an estimated $2.4 million for arena repairs and $600,000 for the arts.

Opponents say the taxes would hurt event attendance. They plan to seek a ballot referendum on the arts tax and file a legal challenge to the arena tax.