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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The Legislature has passed a bill providing for a hotel tax that sponsors hope will be used in part to build a soccer stadium in Sandy for Real Salt Lake.
The bill is expected to be signed by Gov. Jon Huntsman.
It would allow counties to collect an extra 1.25 percent hotel tax to be used for tourism projects.
Real Salt Lake wants Salt Lake County to use $34 million of its revenue from the tax for the stadium. It also wants $7 million from city and county property taxes on the Sandy site.
The soccer project is expected to cost $145 million.
"We're really honored that both houses supported the legislation," RSL spokesman Josh Ewing said Wednesday, minutes after the Senate passed the bill 21-6.
Sen. Howard Stephenson, president of the business-backed Utah Taxpayers Association, tried unsuccessfully to place the issue on the November ballot.
"I was surprised how many (lawmakers) were willing to give millions of tax dollars to rich team owners," the Draper Republican said. "When we're giving that kind of money to a private entity, there ought to be a public vote."
Hotel-industry representatives from Salt Lake City balked at the deal. The bulk of Salt Lake County's share will be collected in their facilities, only to be shipped to Sandy for soccer, they said.
Mike Jerman, vice president of the Utah Taxpayers Association, sympathizes with them.
"There's a lot of free money for Real here," Jerman lamented. "The term they use up here is 'greased from the start.' That's what it was."
Funding details still need to be worked out with county officials.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
