By JEANE MACINTOSH
June 13, 2008
A group of local lawmakers yesterday called for a public hearing after the Yankees said they needed millions of dollars more for their new Bronx ballpark.
Claiming the team was holding talks with the IRS and "several New York public authorities" without involving them, Assemblymen Ruben Diaz (D-Bronx), Hakim Jeffries (D-Brooklyn) and José Peralta (D-Queens) called on the Legislature to look into the request.
Diaz supports the new stadium but said he believes "the Yankees already got their share" of tax-free dough, and noted that other deserving entities, like the Hunts Point Market, have been asking for funding for years without success.
Diaz spoke after the Yankees confirmed they were seeking additional tax-free bond funding - as much as $350 million - on top of the $900 million the team has already received.
The Yankees announced in February that the new park's price tag had climbed to $1.3 billion from $1 billion.
