The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is warning that the cost of hosting FIFA World Cup matches in Vancouver has ballooned to $729 million, a 217% increase from the original estimate provided by government officials.The taxpayer advocacy group says the escalating price tag for seven World Cup matches is an unnecessary burden on British Columbians at a time when governments are raising taxes and increasing debt.“Hosting seven soccer games is going to cost taxpayers nearly $1.2 million per minute of playtime,” said Carson Binda, B.C. director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “When the government is hiking taxes on families and borrowing billions, we can’t afford to spend hundreds of millions on cost overruns.”When Vancouver was first proposed as a host city, officials estimated costs at $230 million for five matches, or about $46 million per game. Updated projections now place the total cost at $729 million for seven games, pushing the average cost to approximately $104 million per match.Binda blamed the increase on what he described as excessive demands from FIFA.“Politicians are wasting taxpayer money accommodating outrageous requests from FIFA,” he said. “From road closures, to luxury stadium suites and motorcades with police escorts, the B.C. government has handed FIFA a blank cheque.”.Vancouver is scheduled to host seven of the tournament’s 104 matches. None of the games assigned to the city are championship, semifinal or quarterfinal contests.The federation also pointed to tourism data suggesting the anticipated economic benefits may not materialize. According to Destination Vancouver, hotel bookings are down 20% this summer compared to the same period last year.“The B.C. government is hiking taxes and rolling back services so it can waste money on seven soccer games,” said Binda. “We can’t afford to spend millions more than the politicians promised on a few soccer games.”
