The Los Angeles Rams didn’t leave the state of Missouri on good terms last winter. Loyal fans felt betrayed, and so did the city of St. Louis, which sued the Rams this year.
Now the Supreme Court of Missouri has ruled that the Rams owe state sales taxes stemming from ticket sales from 2007-13.
This news was highlighted by Tony Messenger of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Tuesday.
The good news never ends for the @RamsNFL. The #MO Supreme Court just ruled that the NFL team owes the state money. https://t.co/YojvPef32t
— Tony Messenger (@tonymess) August 1, 2017
In a summary prepared by communications counsel on the Missouri courts system website, it was revealed that a previous decision made by the administrative hearing commission that the Rams did not owe taxes had been reversed and remanded.
Here’s a portion of the summarized version of this ruling.
“The total amount the Rams received from ticket purchasers is subject to state sales tax and does not constitute a tax on a tax, and the commission erred in finding otherwise. Under the state’s tax laws, the total amount of the sales price is deemed to be the amount received, and sales tax is imposed on the amount paid for admission or fees paid to athletic events. …
“Under local law, it is the Rams – not those who purchase tickets to football games – who bear the entertainment tax. Choosing to pass this obligation through to ticket purchasers does not transform the Rams into the city’s tax collection agents.”
It’s unclear just how much money we’re talking about here, but we’re pretty sure it’s not chump change.
Rams owner Stan Kroenke, already on the hook to pay NFL owners a hefty amount for his relocation fee, will now have even more money to pay out after cutting ties with the city that supported his team for so many years.