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Bill would exempt small county fairground campsites from state lodging tax collection; sponsor says administrative burden outweighs revenue
Summary
A bill before the House Revenue Committee would exempt small county fairground campsites from state transient lodging tax collection, a sponsor said, citing administrative costs that likely exceed the receipts.
Representative Anna Scharf presented House Bill 21,171 A to the House Revenue Committee and asked members to consider an administrative exemption for certain county fairground campsites from collecting the state transient lodging tax (TLT).
Scharf said some county fairgrounds collect only small sums from campsite users — for example, Polk County Fairgrounds collected about $400 last year — yet the administrative steps required to remit the state TLT impose costs that likely exceed the revenue. Under the bill as amended, qualifying fairground campsites (50 or fewer sites and lacking individual sewer and electrical hookups) would be exempt from collecting the state TLT; the dash-A amendment also provides a path for small fairgrounds to collect and retain funds for local fairground operations through locally written rules.
Scharf told the committee the change is narrow and excludes RV resorts or larger campgrounds; it also does not affect counties that have their own local TLT adopted under other statutes. She said she worked with the lodging industry on the drafted amendment and asked for committee consideration. The chair kept the public hearing open to hear two registered witnesses on the bill at a later point in the agenda.
