From our friend, John Todd: Please Sign The Petition!

AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY--KANSAS

Stop Developers from taking taxpayer money:

Put the Hotel Guest Tax on the Ballot!

You probably know that Americans for Prosperity’s Wichita chapter is working with other local groups to let voters decide whether to allow the downtown Ambassador Hotel to keep a large portion of the special guest tax it charges for its own use.

Our petition efforts are on-going, and we have until the first week of December to gather the needed signatures. That gives us just over one week!

Registered voters who put their names on the petition are telling the city council that they support a ballot measure asking Wichita residents if the city should refund 75% of the hotel’s guest tax back to the hotel for its own use.

We will be hosting a “drive-thru” petition signing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday (Nov. 25-27). You’ll find us at the Wichita Inn East (8220 E. Kellogg Dr.) and Best Western Airport Inn (6815 W. Kellogg/US-54). Simply drive up to these hotels and our volunteers will bring a petition to your window for you to sign. It’s just that simple.

We believe refunding 75% of the guest tax to the hotel turns the idea of taxation on its head. Taxation is a public function the government uses to pay for public services – public safety, schools and infrastructure. In this case, the city is allowing a private developer to use a public function for its own purposes.

Additionally, this proposal is not compatible with current city policy. According to the Tourism and Convention Fund in the city’s budget, the goal of the guest tax is to “support tourism and convention, infrastructure, and promotion of the City.” Its outlined priorities are to be “debt service for tourism and convention facilities, operational deficit subsidies, and care and maintenance of Century II.” Letting this hotel keep the majority of the guest tax is a radical departure from the city’s policy requiring most hotels to submit their taxes to the city for the aforementioned purposes.

You can learn more about this effort by visiting dtwichita.com. To sign the petition, contact AFP-Wichita volunteer coordinator John Todd at john@johntodd.net or 316-312-7335.

Americans for Prosperity-Kansas

Topeka: 785-354-4237 · Wichita: 316-681-4415

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Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen-leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and intrusiveness of government is the best way to promote individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens to support restraining state and federal government growth and returning government to its constitutional limits. AFP is more than 1.7 million activists strong, with activists in all 50 states.  AFP has 31 state chapters and affiliates. More than 85,000 Americans in all 50 states have made a financial contribution to AFP or AFP Foundation. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org