Tourism agency seeks hotel tax hikes in 2 Indiana counties

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (AP) - Tourism officials are seeking hotel tax increases in two southern Indiana counties to free up more money for marketing and promoting the region's attractions.

SoIN Tourism staffers plan to meet Tuesday with the Clark County Council and the Floyd County Council on July 15 to make the case for raising their innkeeper's taxes from 4% to 6%.

The two councils would have to pass substantially similar ordinances to increase the taxes.

The News and Tribune reports that the counties' innkeeper's taxes are among Indiana's lowest and are the sole source of the roughly $1.6 million SoIN Tourism receives annually.

The agency's executive director, Jim Epperson, says increasing the taxes would give his group "the resources to help make the destination more competitive in the marketplace."

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Information from: News and Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind., http://www.newsandtribune.com