Tourism Revelstoke announced an increase to the Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT) from 2 to 3 per cent and an expansion into area ‘B’ of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD).
The MRDT is a percentage collected from every visitor that stays in a hotel, short term vacation rental, and bed and breakfast. For some time, Revelstoke’s MRDT was below the provincial average. Tourism Revelstoke’s announcement also included the news that Revelstoke’s MRDT will expand into the surrounding CSRD area ‘B’, which is comprised of rural places near Revelstoke like Trout Lake and Galena Bay.
Tourism Revelstoke said in a press release that 0.2 per cent of the MRDT goes towards a provincial events fund, which can be accessed by application. Revelstoke had success when they applied for funds for the Natural Selection Tour.
According to Tourism Revelstoke, the remaining 0.8 per cent of the tax increase will be allocated the destination management but it doesn’t include short-term rentals. The organization said that a separate fee is levied against short-term renters through the platforms that support them, including AirBnB and VRBO.
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By incorporating CSRD area ‘B’ the area that will be subject to Revelstoke’s MRDT will be expanded, thereby creating more opportunity for revenue.
In the press release, Tourism Revelstoke said the increased revenue will be used towards some of the successful programs that they established in previous years and introduce new initiatives. The group are looking to bring back Thanksgiving Back and expand their investment in Indigenous tourism experiences.
Tourism Revelstoke said in the release that it would be releasing its Destination Management in the next month and creating opportunities for public input.
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@ZacharyDelaney
zach.delaney@revelstokereview.com
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