County Fair Officials Angered by Pomona Tax
Los Angeles County Fair officials reacted angrily Wednesday to a decision by the Pomona City Council to levy a 10% tax on admission to all events at the county fairgrounds except the fair itself and off-track betting.
“We’re really shocked. This devastates our non-fair program and really kills the hotel project,” said fair spokesman Sid Robinson, refering to the 250-room hotel envisioned for the site.
Robinson said more than 1 million people attend various events at the fairgrounds each year. He said the fair has been counting on these events to provide customers for the hotel.
The tax, which also would be levied on fees paid by exhibitors for space, could discourage trade show promoters from staging shows in Pomona, Robinson said.
But Councilman C. L. (Clay) Bryant said trade show promoters are not going to give up lucrative events at the fairgrounds just because of the tax. “There’s no way this can hurt the fair,” he added.
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