Carolina Politics Online

The General Assembly bill would require vendors to refund tickets if they are counterfeit or not delivered on time, and would tax the Internet sale of tickets at prices above face value.

Supporters say they want to protect fans from buying fake tickets. Opponents argue that legalized scalping in any form allows resellers to hoard tickets and price ordinary fans — taxpayers — out of the best seats at the most popular events.

“North Carolinians shouldn’t have to pay a scalping premium for entertainment that in many cases they’re already subsidizing via tax revenue or public buildings,” said Shana Becker, attorney for the N.C. Public Interest Research Group.

The N&O

Well, this simplest solution, and the one I support in a perfect world, is for taxpayers to not have to subsidize these stadiums to begin with. But since that’s never gonna happen, what’s the second best option?

 

I’ve always been kinda torn on the whole scalping issue. On one hand, if you bought the ticket, it belongs to you. You should be able to do whatever you want with it, and if in a free market someone is willing to buy it off you for a higher price, well praise Adam Smith!

 

However, the ticket is only a ticket to the actual seat, which does NOT belong to you (though in a subsidized stadium… oh never mind). And I don’t like the idea of people being able to buy hordes of tickets in order to spike the price.

 

So I’m looking for some direction on this. Any comments from the peanut gallery?

 

Oh, and I’m fully aware that the only real reason the General Assembly passed this bill was so they could tax higher resale values. Hopefully you were too.

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