State lawmakers hope to lure the 2009 NBA All-Star Game to Phoenix by waiving the state sales tax charged on tickets for the game and its associated attractions.

Supporters of the incentive, which would be worth $300,000 to $400,000 to the NBA and its assorted sponsors who purchase the tickets, say it could help the city land the event and the worldwide exposure and economic windfall that come with it.

But the sales-tax waiver is caught up in state budget negotiations - it's included in the House's proposal, not the Senate's - and is targeted by critics who call it a tax giveaway to big corporations.