I encourage you to vote in support of
H.B. 7307 concerning Deposits to and Allocations of Funds in the Tourism Fund.
I am in favor of this bill because its approach will:
- increase the return on investment that the arts and tourism have proven to provide for the state (for every $1 spent on the arts by CT, $7 in economic activity - including state and local revenues - is generated; and for every $1 spent on tourism by CT, $3 of economic activity - including state and local revenues - is generated)
- restore state pride for current residents and businesses
- enhance experiences and improve our quality of life
- revitalize our cities and towns and create vibrant communities
- raise CT's profile and attract new visitors, talent, businesses and families
This bill includes:
1. allocating 25% of the existing Lodging Tax revenue into the Tourism Fund
(an increase of approximately $20M compared to current allocation of 10% - this change does not impact lodging tax rates)
2. dedicating 60% of the fund to Tourism and 40% to Arts & Culture
The bill, however, should be amended
to include a name change
for the fund
to accurately represent the purpose of the fund. The fund’s name should be "Arts, Culture, and Tourism Fund.”
Passing this bill:
- Will provide predictable and sustainable funding to ACT which will exponentially increase jobs and the economy while investing in community revitalization that will have neighborhood impact
- Does not increase overall state spending but shifts $19M from the general fund to ACT Fund
- Generates $150 million in tax revenue, based on $3 to $1 ROI for tourism and $7 to $1 ROI for arts and culture
- Would increase Connecticut's competitiveness with bordering states that spend a combined $86M dollars on tourism marketing and invest nearly twice what Connecticut does in the arts on a per capita basis
Thank you for considering this and for all you do as our legislator.
Sincerely,
[your name, town, organization your work or volunteer for]
