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Show Transient Room Tax - - -Key for Utah Development SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH Tourism, the fastest growing industry in Utah, will get a big boost this year with the planned full use of the Transient Tran-sient Room Tax. The Room Tax Statute passed by the 1965 Legislature, Legisla-ture, lets motels, hotels, or anyone renting for 30 days or less, to put 114 percent tax on the accommodation. The tax money is then used to promote the more than $200 million travel industry in the state through the Utah Travel Council and varied convention bureaus. Here's how it works: The Travel Council, for instance, has split the state up into nine regions, with each one offering a distinctive and unique uni-que attraction for visitors. Each region has a travel committee that determines what it would cost to promote their region for the year. The committee submits its proposal pro-posal to the Travel Council and the Council matches the money put up by the region with the revenue from the Room Tax. For example, if the Golden Spike Empire (Box Elder Davis, Morgan and Weber counties) plans to. spend $34, 000 this year for promotion the Utah Travel Council can provide half from the Room Tax money. "The tax has proved to Be a big asset to the travel industry in-dustry in the state," Lee Jor-gensen, Jor-gensen, director of the Travel Tra-vel Council, said today. "The plan is very simple and when all the counties in, the state elect to use the tax it will give Utah an excellent tool in promoting the travel industry." in-dustry." Regional proposals this year are expected to exceed $150, 000, though the Travel Council Coun-cil budget has a $100,000 ceiling. ceil-ing. Final decision on the amount am-ount each region receives will be made following the May 1 deadline for submission of proposals. Two years ago, the total request by the regions was $30,000. The 1972 proposals are five times that amount. The program is designed to let the regions promote themselves. them-selves. The Travel Council moves into a planning and advisory capacity and gives the regions ideas and the Tielp they need to promote fiieir attractions. ' |