But even if voters approve the tax, Denver would remain a bargain, according to Richard W. Scharf, president and CEO of the convention & visitors bureau. Colorado is the only sate in the country without a permanently funded tourism office. And there are only two cities out of the top 40 major metro areas in the country that have lower tourism budgets than the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Even with the increase, Denver would only rank No. 30 in the country as far as hotel taxes, and No. 19 as far as car rental taxes. Indeed, the Corporate Travel Index numbers show that even with the tax, Denver overall would still be the 53rd least expensive city in the US for total hotel costs and No. 40 for total carrental costs, according to Scharf.
The $2.3-billion tourism industry supports 65,000 jobs, making it one of Colorado's largest industries. Some argue that it is unfair to tax outsiders in this way. But Scharf notes that when Denver residents travel to other cities, they pay even higher taxes on lodging and car rentals that help other local economies. Ultimately, the goal of the proposed tax is to bring more visitors to the area. That, in turn, would increase the amount of sales taxes and other taxes, reducing the local tax burden, according to Scharf.
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