Members of council’s finance committee said Thursday the city will offer an income tax credit of up to $5 for all resident tax returns filed online. The maximum allowable credit for admissions tax paid by an individual taxpayer would be $25.
“The fact is that the residents already pay an income tax and a property tax to support the services and infrastructure that are in place,” said Tony Bradburn. “The 3 million-plus visitors that we have come (each year) really aren’t paying anything. There’s no reason to double-tax our residents.”
Bradburn said a credit for the parking tax also will be incorporated into the ordinance.
A residential tax break does not soften Kings Island’s opposition to the issue, according to Greg Scheid, the amusement park’s vice president and general manager.
“This is the first I’ve heard about it,” Scheid said Thursday afternoon. “We’re being thrown a new curve ball so I want to see what the ordinance says ... get a good feel for it.”
The proposed admissions tax would significantly hurt group sales at Kings Island, something that park officials have voiced concerns about from the start, Scheid said.
“At one point, the city had told me maybe they would write group sales out of the admissions tax,” he said.
To date, that has not occurred, Scheid said.
Mason officials have said $24 million worth of improvements are needed at the Western Row Road and Interstate 71 interchange. When Kings Island and The Beach Waterpark are operating, the city also incurs more calls for service for police and fire services. The taxes are meant to offset those expenses.
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