Volume I Issue VI. The Tourism Industry s Contribution to the Clark County Master Transportation Plan

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Sydney Brown
5 years ago
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1 Volume I Issue VI

2 Page 1 A pplied Analysis was retained by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (the LVCVA ) to review and analyze the economic impacts associated with its various operations and southern Nevada s tourism industry more generally. This is the sixth in a series of reports detailing the findings of our review and analysis; it is specific to the contributions of the tourism industry in southern Nevada to road construction in Clark County (the County ). FINDINGS IN SUMMARY Clark County Public Works ( Public Works ) generally finances the construction of roads through a fund referred to as the Master Transportation Plan (the Plan ), which includes several revenue sources. The Plan is considered the mechanism that ties together all road-related strategies developed by governmental entities in southern Nevada. Revenue sources for the Plan include: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) new development tax (currently at $700 per new residential unit and 75 cents per square foot of new commercial or other construction); supplemental governmental services tax (formerly known as motor vehicle privilege tax; currently 1 percent of vehicle value); motor vehicle fuel tax (currently 9 cents per gallon); jet and aviation fuel tax (currently 3 cents per gallon); sales tax (currently 0.50 percent is allocated to County transportation projects), and; transient lodging tax (i.e., room tax), which is levied at a rate of 9 percent to 11 percent for resort hotels and 7 percent to 9 percent for non-resort hotels, with 1 percent being allocated to County transportation projects. 1 These sources of revenue generated nearly $2.6 billion for road construction projects between FY 1999 and FY Of the major sources of revenue for road construction funded by the Plan, sales tax is the most significant, accounting for 42 percent of collections, or nearly $1.1 billion. Supplemental governmental services tax is the second-largest revenue source, accounting for 14 percent of all collections, or $365 million. Motor vehicle fuel tax provides just over 13 percent of funding, or $343 million. 1 In March 2009, the Nevada Legislature voted to increase the room tax rate in Clark County by 3 percentage points not to exceed 13 percent; the increase is effective July 1, See, Clark County Public Works, Road and Infrastructure Guides and Clark County Comprehensive Annual Financial Statements (CAFR s) Figures for FY 1999 through FY 2004 were obtained from the Road and Infrastructure Guides. Figures for FY 2005 through FY 2008 were obtained from the CAFR s due to the more extensive disclosure level in the CAFR s in those years.

3 Page 2 Nearly 13 percent of collections are also sourced to the new development tax as well as the room tax, with each source contributing approximately $326 million over the period. Jet and aviation fuel tax rounds out the last 5 percent, contributing $125 million during the ten-year period. Exhibit I depicts the general breakdown of funds received under the Plan during the ten year period covering FY 1999 through FY Exhibit I Master Transportation Funds Received by Public Works for Road Construction FY 1999 FY Room Tax 13% New Development Tax 13% Supplemental Governmental Services Tax 14% Sales Tax (0.50% to Clark County transportation projects) 42% Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax 13% Jet and Aviation Fuel Tax 5% In addition to the Plan, which is considered by the County to be a major fund, there are several other minor revenue sources available for Clark County road construction and maintenance. These include the Road Maintenance Fund, funded by gasoline sales and generating approximately $20 million per year; the Road Construction Fund, which generated $95,000 in interest in FY 2008; the Public Works Capital Improvements Fund, which generated $14 million in revenues in FY 2008; and the County Transportation Improvements Fund, which generated $434,000 in interest in FY Additionally, Special Improvement Districts may be created in which to raise funds for specific projects within their jurisdictions. 5 These minor funding sources are not included in the analyses that follow. While most revenue sources are allocated generally for purposes of road and beltway construction and maintenance throughout the county, room tax collected as part of the Plan is specifically allocated to improvements within 3 Source: Clark County Public Works, Road and Infrastructure Guides and Clark County Comprehensive Annual Financial Statements FY 2005 FY See, Clark County Public Works, 2008 Road and Infrastructure Guide, and Clark County Comprehensive Annual Financial Statements FY See, Clark County Public Works, 2008 Road and Infrastructure Guide.

4 Page 3 the Strip Resort Corridor (Las Vegas Boulevard from Sahara Avenue to Russell Road), as the easing of traffic congestion in resort areas is believed by Public Works to be critical to the continued health and stability of Clark County s tourism industry. 6 Room tax collections totaled approximately $326 million from FY 1999 to FY While room tax revenue is clearly attributable to hotels and motels visited by tourists, a share of the new development tax and the sales tax are also generated by the tourism industry. In addition, the industry s employees contribute to the generation of sales tax, the supplemental governmental services tax, the motor vehicle fuel tax, and new development tax generated by residential units. Our analysis indicates that over the ten-year study period, an estimated $895 million, or 35 percent of Master Transportation Plan funding for road construction in Clark County is attributable to taxes generated by the tourism industry; these taxes being paid by the industry itself, tourists, and direct hospitality industry employees, which currently comprise approximately 25 percent of the region s workforce. These include casino-hotel employees (178,800 in fiscal year 2008), as well as those working in the broader tourism industry, which is estimated to directly support an additional 54,400 employees who work in venues within hotel casinos that may not be owned by the hotel or hotel-casino operator directly (e.g., restaurants and retail outlets), businesses designed to provide services principally to non-resident consumers (e.g., Las Vegas Strip retailers) and other enterprises facilitating the industry generally (e.g. air and ground transportation and meeting planning). 8 Details regarding this calculation are discussed in the sections that follow. Refer to Exhibit II on the following page for a depiction of Plan funding that is attributable to the tourism industry. 6 See, Clark County Public Works, 2008 Road and Infrastructure Guide. 7 See, Clark County Public Works, Road and Infrastructure Guides and Clark County Comprehensive Annual Financial Statements FY 2005 FY See, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Economic Impact Series, Issue II, The Economic Impact of Southern Nevada s Tourism Industry and Convention Sector, December 2008.

5 Page 4 Exhibit II Master Transportation Funds Received by Public Works for Road Construction - Attributable to the Tourism Industry and Direct Hospitality Industry Employees FY 1999 FY Sales Tax Tourism Business to Business 1% New Development Tax (commercial) Large Strip properties 0.5% New Development Tax (residential) Employees 1% Supplemental Governmental Services Tax Employees 2% Jet and Aviation Fuel Tax Tourists 2% Sales Tax Employees 3% Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax Employees 4% Sales Tax Tourists 8.5% Room Tax 13% Not attributed to tourism industry 65% Exhibit II depicts the overall share that each revenue source attributed to the tourism industry contributed to the total revenue generated over the ten-year study period for the Plan. Approximately 35 percent of revenue for the Plan is sourced to the tourism industry, tourists, and its direct employees, and 65 percent of Plan funding is attributed elsewhere. Exhibit III below provides a more detailed breakdown of funding sources shown above, as well as the share of each revenue source (i.e., tax type) that is attributable to the tourism industry. 9 Source: Clark County Public Works, Road and Infrastructure Guides and Clark County Comprehensive Annual Financial Statements FY 2005 FY New development tax attributable to large Strip properties built during the period was estimated based on square footage data obtained from company 10-K s and company websites. Residential new development tax was attributed to direct hospitality industry employees based on the share of growth in industry employment over growth in total employment. Sales tax, supplemental governmental services tax, and motor vehicle fuel tax attributed to direct hospitality industry employees was calculated by AA based on consumer spending profiles developed for the current period and discounted for previous years. Las Vegas-Paradise MSA employment data was utilized as data by industry is not available for Clark County. However, total employment is roughly equal in Clark County and Las Vegas-Paradise MSA. Sales tax attributed to tourists was based on the finding in Issue III of this series, Contribution to Major Public Revenues that visitors account for every 1 in 5 dollars paid in sales and use tax.

6 Page 5 Exhibit III Master Transportation Funds Received by Public Works for Road Construction Detailed Breakdown of Tax and Share Attributed to Tourism Industry FY 1999 FY $ in millions Attributable to Tourism Industry Industry Industry Tourists Other Total Directly Employees Sales Tax $17 $83 $217 $770 $1,087 Share of Total 2% 8% 20% 70% 100% Supp. Govt. Services Tax $44 $321 $365 Share of Total 0% 12% 0% 88% 100% Motor Vehicle Fuel Tax $114 $228 $342 Share of Total 0% 33% 0% 67% 100% New Development Tax $11 $25 $290 $326 Share of Total 3% 8% 0% 89% 100% Room Tax $326 $326 Share of Total 100% 0% 0% 0% 100% Jet Fuel Tax $58 $67 $125 Share of Total 0% 0% 46% 54% 100% Total $354 $266 $275 $1,676 $2,570 Share of Total 14% 10% 11% 65% 100% Note that as a result of variances in spending profiles in each category (e.g. in certain categories, higher income profiles spent more, while in other categories, income did not have as great an effect), the share of the total attributed to each revenue source varies among those revenue sources attributed to direct hospitality industry employees. While not impacting the historical analysis contained herein, it is also worth noting that in fiscal year 2009, the LVCVA began issuing debt to fund transportation projects. 11 In 2007, legislation was passed that requires the LVCVA to fund transportation projects in the amount of $300 million, or $20 million per year in debt service, whichever is less. 12 In fiscal year 2010, the LVCVA anticipates issuing the remaining portion of its required contribution to transportation projects and estimates that it will incur related debt service costs of $7 million during the same fiscal year Id. 11 See, Las Vegas Convention Center FY 2010 Budget. 12 See, Assembly Bill 595, Section 46.5, 2007 Nevada Legislative Session. 13 See, Las Vegas Convention Center FY 2010 Budget.

7 Page 6 Funding from Sales Tax Sales tax is the most significant contributor to Plan funding, particularly since the 2003 Legislative Session when Senate Bill 237 was passed, allowing Clark County to raise the sales tax from 0.25 to 0.50 percentage points for transportation funding. As a result, funding from sales tax more than doubled from FY 2003 to FY 2004, increasing from around $60 million annually to $122 million annually in FY In Issue III of this series, Contribution to Major Public Revenues, it was estimated that visitors account for every 1 in 5 dollars paid in sales and use tax, or approximately 20 percent. 14 As such, 20 percent of total sales tax raised for road construction is assumed to be attributable to visitor consumption, approximately $217 million during the period FY 1999 through FY A share of sales tax generated for road construction may also be attributed to direct hospitality industry employees. Current spending profiles indicate that a household with an earnings profile roughly equivalent to that of a tourism industry employee is expected to incur $10,950 on an annual basis in taxable expenditures, generating $55 per household in 2008 for the. 15 Applying a conservative annual discount factor of 3 percent to account for inflation, and halving the amount in fiscal year 2003 and prior to account for the increase in the sales tax rate for road construction, the annual estimate was then multiplied by the number of direct hospitality industry workers employed during each year of the tenyear study period. Under these assumptions, it is estimated that approximately $82 million during the period FY 1999 through FY 2008 was generated for road construction through sales tax paid by direct hospitality industry employees. Additionally, a share of sales tax generated for road construction may be attributed to leisure and hospitality business-to-business purchases. Approximately 1.6 percent of sales tax generated is attributable to leisure and hospitality business-to-business purchases. 16 Under this assumption, it is estimated that over $17 million during the ten-year study period was generated for road construction through sales tax paid as a result of leisure and hospitality business-to-business sales. 14 See, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Economic Impact Series, Issue III, The Tourism Industry s Contribution to Major Public Revenues, February Consumer spending profiles were developed by AA based on income quintiles data reported in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey; estimated expenditure was calculated based on two quintiles, between which average income for direct hospitality industry employees referenced in this study falls. 16 Calculation by Applied Analysis based on industry-to-industry local purchase matrix derived from the Minnesota IMPLAN Group s economic input-output model and sales tax information generally reported by the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. Figures do not include sales taxes generated by construction activities.

8 Page 7 Funding from the New Development Tax New development tax has historically been a significant source of revenue for the ; during the past year or so, this source of revenue has declined significantly as residential and commercial construction has slowed. Nevertheless, it is estimated that large Strip hotels/hotel-casinos that have come online since FY 1999, including Bellagio (October 1998), Mandalay Bay, Four Seasons Hotel, The Venetian Las Vegas, The Orleans, THEhotel, Wynn Las Vegas, The Palazzo, Encore, and Trump International Hotel Las Vegas have alone generated over $11 million in new development tax based on square footage estimates. 17 The new development tax, which has increased from $500 per residential unit and $0.50 per square foot for the entire area of the building for all other development to $700 and $0.75 per square foot over the past ten years, is set to increase again on July 1, 2010 to $800 per residential unit and $0.80 per square foot of non-residential development. Residential units (including homes, apartments, duplexes, four-plexes, townhouses, multi-family units, manufactured homes and others) constructed from fiscal year 1999 through fiscal year 2008 totaled an estimated 311,336 units. 18 Assuming that the new residential units coming online throughout the ten-year study period were occupied by direct hospitality industry employees and their families in an equal proportion to the growth in direct hospitality employment over total employment growth during each of the ten years, 42,552 units were owned or occupied by these employees, or approximately 14 percent. Applying the new development tax per unit that was applicable in the year the unit came online, it is estimated that over the past ten years, nearly $25 million in residential new development tax is attributable to homes owned or occupied by direct hospitality industry employees. Funding from Supplemental Governmental Services and Fuel Taxes The 1-cent supplemental governmental services tax (formerly known as the motor vehicle privilege tax) and the 9-cent motor vehicle fuel tax are both significant funding sources for the. During FY 1999 through FY 2008, the supplemental governmental services tax 17 Square footage estimates were gathered from available data and obtained from company 10-K filings and company websites. 18 Clark County Assessor data, 1999 through 2008; fiscal year data is not available and therefore was estimated for each period based on two-year averages.

9 Page 8 generated $365 million in Plan funding; the motor vehicle fuel tax generated $343 million. AA estimated the amount of supplemental governmental services tax and motor vehicle fuel tax paid by direct hospitality industry employees and the families they support through an analysis of consumer spending profiles categorized by income level (in a manner similar to that in which sales tax burden was calculated). The spending profile of an individual earning approximately $37,300, the average annual compensation level of a hotelcasino worker in 2007, suggests the individual (and their household, if there are no other wage-earners) would contribute $23 per year to the supplemental governmental services tax and around $50 per year in fuel tax that would be distributed to the Plan. 19 Supplemental governmental services tax contributions were conservatively discounted by 3 percent annually as they were multiplied by direct hospitality industry employment counts over the previous ten years, while fuel tax was based on a gallonsper-year estimate and therefore not discounted. Under these assumptions, it is estimated that direct hospitality industry employees generated $44 million and $114 million in supplemental governmental services and motor vehicle fuel taxes, respectively. 20 These contributions equate to 12 percent of all supplemental governmental service tax collected and roughly one-third of motor vehicle fuel tax paid. Note that proportions vary due to consumer spending profile variations among categories (e.g. consumers categorized in higher earnings classes tend to own more expensive vehicles and therefore pay higher amounts of supplemental governmental services tax per capita or household). Funding from Jet and Aviation Fuel Tax The jet and aviation fuel tax is a relatively minor source of funding for the, raising approximately $125 million over the ten-year period. In order to estimate the proportion of jet and aviation fuel tax attributed to the tourism industry, visitor volume was taken as a percentage of total McCarran International Airport passengers for each year, and then discounted by 50 percent to account for visitors arriving via 19 Consumer spending profiles were developed by AA based on income quintiles data reported in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey; estimated expenditure was calculated based on two quintiles, between which average income for direct hospitality industry employees referenced in this study falls. 20 It is noted that the hospitality industry itself operates a substantial amount of vehicles as well; however, there exists no readily available information with which to estimate supplemental governmental services tax or fuel taxes for these vehicles.

10 Page 9 modes of transportation other than by plane. 21 The resultant figure indicates that approximately 46 percent of the jet and aviation fuel tax is attributable to the tourism industry, or nearly $58 million over the ten-year period. Funding from Room Tax The room tax imposed in Clark County and its incorporated cities is allocated to the LVCVA, the Clark County School District, Clark County transportation, the state of Nevada, and to the taxing entity for the administration of the tax. The allocation of the room tax among these entities is shown in the table below. Room tax collections for the Clark County total approximately $326 million for the period FY 1999 to FY Note that 100 percent of room tax collections are assumed to be attributable to the tourism industry. Exhibit IV Allocation of Clark County Room Tax 23 Percentage of Room Revenue Received by Entity Resort Other Hotels/ Hotels Motels Approximate Share of Total Room Tax Entity Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) 4% 5% 2% 4% 33% 50% Clark County School District 1.625% 1.625% 18% 27% Taxing Entity 24 1% 2% 1% 2% 16% 22% County Transportation 1% 1% 16% 11% State of Nevada 0.375% 0.375% 4% 6% Total (Range) 8% 10% 6% 9% 100% METHODOLOGY General information on taxes, tax rates and historical collection data were obtained from the Clark County Department of Public Works, Nevada Department of Taxation, Nevada Legislative Counsel Bureau, the Nevada 21 See for McCarran passenger and visitor volume statistics, and the 2008 Las Vegas Visitor Profile Study, prepared by GLS Research for the LVCVA, for statistics regarding transportation methods. 22 See, Clark County Public Works, Road and Infrastructure Guides and Clark County Comprehensive Annual Financial Statements FY 2005 FY See, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority 2008 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report and 2009 Fiscal Year Budget 24 In Clark County and its incorporated cities the taxing entity receives 1 or 2 percent, except for Boulder City, where the taxing entity receives 0 percent; note also, all host jurisdictions receive a 10 percent room tax collection allowance.

Page 10 Commission on Tourism, the Nevada Taxpayers Association, the Clark County Assessor s Office, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, and various local government publications.

11 Page 10 Commission on Tourism, the Nevada Taxpayers Association, the Clark County Assessor s Office, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, and various local government publications. Information on historical employment and workforce characteristics was obtained from the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. Consumer spending profiles were developed by Applied Analysis based on income quintiles data reported in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey; estimated expenditure was calculated based on two quintiles, between which average income for direct hospitality industry employees referenced in this study falls. Hospitality industry business-tobusiness purchases were calculated by Applied Analysis based on an industry-to-industry local purchase matrix derived from the Minnesota IMPLAN Group s economic input-output model and sales tax information generally reported by the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. Data regarding hotel and hotel casino square footage for those major Strip properties built over the applicable period was obtained from the respective hotel company s 10-K filings and company websites. ANALYSIS LIMITATIONS This analysis used the best available data to estimate the contributions of the tourism industry to road construction in Clark County. It relies heavily on data reported by third-party data providers; and, although we have no reason to doubt the accuracy of these data, they have not been subjected to any auditing or review procedures by AA. In some cases data were either incomplete or inconsistent. Efforts were taken to minimize the impacts of these challenges, and we believe the analysis provides a fair and reasonable response to the fundamental question presented. Finally, it is important to note that this is a preliminary undertaking that will be supplemented by on-going and future analyses. This report is not intended to be comprehensive and may not be appropriate for all purposes.

TRANSPORTATION-SPECIFIC SALES TAX REVENUE 23% Visitors Generate Roughly 23 Percent of Taxable Retail Sales

TRANSPORTATION-SPECIFIC SALES TAX REVENUE 23% Visitors Generate Roughly 23 Percent of Taxable Retail Sales EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Applied Analysis was retained by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority ( LVCVA ) to review and analyze the economic impacts associated with its various operations and the overall