Wyoming Lodging Tax Bill Headed To Governor Gordon

A bill to impose a statewide 5 percent lodging tax has won approval from both houses of the Wyoming Legislature and is now headed to Governor Mark Gordon, who is widely expected to sign the measure.

While Wyoming's governor is constitutionally prohibited from commenting on whether he will sign or veto specific pieces of legislation, the governor in his ''State of the State" speech in February said a lodging tax is the only new tax he would support this year.

While the Senate and House passed slightly different versions of the bill, the House voted 47-13 on Monday to concur with the Senate version of the bill, which is expected to raise roughly $17 million per year for efforts to promote Wyoming's tourism industry by 2022.

Local governments would still be able to impose a lodging tax, but that would be capped at two percent, compared to a possible amount of 4 percent under current state law.

Of the amount raised by the statewide tax, two percent of the five percent would be distributed to counties on a monthly basis in proportion to the amount collected in the county

You can read House Bill 134 here.