Crony capitalism

Lollapalooza Avoids Taxes Under Contract Negotiated by Daley Nephew

Chicago - Next weekend's Lollapalooza is sold out, and for the seventh straight year, the music festival doesn't have to pay any city or county amusement taxes, a tax giveaway of more than $1 million.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times , former Mayor Richard M. Daley's nephew Mark Vanecko helped negotiate the contract. He represents a company called C3 Presents, which promotes Lollapalooza.

The event is run by the nonprofit Parkways Foundation, however. The deal gives Parkways a cut of the gross revenue, with the money going to pay for Park District projects.

It got about $2 million last year.

C3 Presents gets the rest, and last year they pulled in more than $19 million.

Lollapalooza runs Aug. 5 through 7 in Grant Park.