Looking to extend the venue tax

August 5, 2007

After reading Monday’s story on County Judge Nelson Wolff’s push to get voters to extend the venue tax that paid for the AT&T Center, reader MJ emailed this reporter, concerned.

“I decided to look over recent rental car bills for rentals I’ve needed in the local area to see if I’ve been subjected to the visitors tax.” wrote MJ. “Sure enough I have been charged the tax that was meant for tourists and visitors to the county. Do you know if this is correct?”

It is indeed. For while officials are trying to sell the venue tax as something that will only hit out-of-towners, hoping to make it more palatable to tax-averse voters, MJ’s email is a reminder that many locals will pay the tax.

So, we levied the tax because we wanted the SBC center. Now, since it is already in place Nelson Wolff wants to keep it and use it for improvements to the riverwalk, a performing arts center and an amateur athletic facility. Make no mistake, this will affect more than just out-of-towners. When my car was being fixed I was amazed at the taxes I was paying for my rental. I am betting everyone else is too.

Even if these taxes only affected tourists you really have to wonder why we as residents think that is alright. As a city tourism is our biggest industry and if the tourists stopped coming we would be lost. Our hotel tax is 16.5% and even the boat tour on the riverwalk was $5 for me and mine and $7.75 for the guests. It seems awfully short sighted of San Antonians to put the burden on the tourists that we need as a city to survive.

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