Doug Schwartz Comments on Unique Tax Situation Faced By Atlanta Braves—America’s Only Publicly Traded MLB Team

Doug Schwartz was quoted in the Bloomberg Tax article “Atlanta Braves Face $19 Million Tax-Hike Battle Over Player Pay.” The article explores how the Atlanta Braves, the sole publicly traded Major League Baseball team, is up against the U.S. tax code in a fight that could potentially cost the team millions due to an obscure tax rule that will soon go into effect. The rule will restrict public corporations from deducting the cost of wages paid to the corporation’s highest paid employees. For the team, these employees are its players. This could potentially result in a $19.1 million tax hike for the Braves.

Commenting on the situation, Doug said, “The Braves will be at a significant disadvantage under the tax code...The team would be particularly harmed when pursuing free agents because they'd have to factor in the additional tax burden, in addition to the contract amount when competing for top talent.”