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Resort owners urge lawmakers to raise lakeshore tax tiers to prevent closures and preserve local tourism
Summary
Owners of small, family-run Minnesota resorts told the Senate Tax Committee that lakeshore valuations and static tier thresholds set in statute have pushed many resorts to financial stress or closure; they asked the legislature to raise tier limits for resort valuation to preserve tourism and local economies.
Resort owners and their industry representative told the Senate Tax Committee that statutory lakeshore valuation tiers have not kept pace with market increases and that the mismatch is forcing family resorts to close or sell for private development.
Joel Carlson, who represents Community Minnesota Resorts and a private government affairs firm, said Minnesota once had more than 3,000 resorts and that the number the organization tracks has fallen from about 1,100 to under 600. "We're down to under 600. And that is a significant problem," Carlson said, arguing that resorts supply critical public access to lakes and support local businesses.
Three resort owners gave first‑hand accounts. Mike Schwieters of Boyd Lodge…
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