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Even those earning around the national median income must file income taxes in 15 to 20 states every year. For many, the cost of compliance can eat up weeks of time and thousands of dollars.
How California Started This Mess
This bizarre tax scheme started in 1991, when California decided to go after the Chicago Bulls during the NBA Finals. Seeing Michael Jordan and his teammates earning big paychecks in Los Angeles, the Golden State wanted its cut.
Illinois fired back by introducing its own “jock tax” in what they proudly dubbed “Michael Jordan’s Revenge.”
Today, that petty rivalry has turned into a multibillion-dollar racket. Twenty-one states and eight cities now impose these taxes, targeting visiting athletes and entertainers who dare to earn money in their territory.
The Tax Foundation has called it what it truly is — “a cash grab that unfairly targets athletes and entertainers because they place an undue compliance burden on them.”
And of course, California leads the pack. With the highest jock tax rate at 13.3%, the state collected a staggering $229.2 million from visiting professional teams in 2013 alone — nearly a quarter billion dollars seized from people just doing their jobs.
The Next Phase: Targeting Remote Workers
Here’s the part that should terrify every working American. States are now testing ways to apply the same rules to remote employees.
“There was a lot of grace given during the pandemic, but we’re past that now,” warned Jared Walczak of the Tax Foundation. “States are getting more serious about this.”
In other words, if you work remotely across state lines — even by accident — you could soon face the same nightmare.
Think about it: reply to a few work emails while traveling, and a tax agency could decide you owe them money. States are already exploring ways to force companies to track employee locations and withhold taxes accordingly.
Crushing the Middle Class
The people hurt most by this are not the millionaire superstars. It’s the lower-level employees and minor league players living paycheck to paycheck.
Minor League Baseball players earning between $19,800 and $35,800 a year are forced to file in multiple states. Major League Soccer players making around $35,000 face the same problem.
“The tax hits many people who may not be able to easily absorb the substantial compliance costs associated with the tax,” noted the Tax Foundation.
That’s not fairness — that’s government greed. These are people just trying to make a living, not multimillionaires hiding offshore assets.
The Hidden Agenda Behind the “Jock Tax”
It started as a petty political stunt and turned into a nationwide shake-down. States struggling with massive deficits saw athletes as easy targets. Their schedules are public, their salaries transparent, and their teams already handle complex payrolls.
Now, those same states are salivating at the thought of using modern tracking and payroll systems to go after remote workers.
Some states already force companies to pay unemployment taxes in every jurisdiction where remote employees live. It’s only a matter of time before they demand income tax filings too.
The “jock tax” was just the beginning. The real target isn’t the athletes anymore. It’s every American who dares to work beyond their home state — and that’s a nightmare waiting to happen.
