State taxes for players in certain NHL locations have recently sparked discussion. This follows `NHL on TNT` analyst Paul Bissonnette`s comments on air about Florida Panthers players benefiting from not paying state income tax. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman addressed this on the network`s broadcast Monday, dismissing it as a `ridiculous issue.`
“When the Florida teams weren`t good, which was for about 17 years, OK, nobody said anything about it,” Bettman stated before Game 3. “For those of you that played, were you sitting there with a tax table? No, you wanted to go to a good organization in a place you wanted to live where you wanted to raise your kids and send them to school. You wanted to play in a first-class arena with a first-class training facility with an owner, an organization, a GM and a coach that you were comfortable with.”
Bettman further highlighted that some major cities, like Los Angeles and New York City, have very high state taxes.
“And you wanted to have good teammates so you would have a shot at winning,” he added. “That`s what motivates. Could it be a little bit of a factor if everything else were equal? I suppose, but that`s not it. By the way, state taxes high in Los Angeles, high in New York. What are we going to do, subsidize those teams?”
The recent success of “Sun Belt” NHL teams has likely fueled this debate among fans and commentators. The Florida Panthers are currently in their third consecutive Stanley Cup Final, having won the Cup last season. Additionally, the Tampa Bay Lightning reached three straight Stanley Cup Finals from 2020 to 2022, claiming the championship in 2020 and 2021.
While Florida teams have seen significant success, the lack of state income tax isn`t exclusive to the Sunshine State. The Dallas Stars also benefit from no state income tax but haven`t won a Stanley Cup since 1998-99 and have been eliminated in the Western Conference Final for the past three seasons.
