Letters: Gay Marriage a Money Maker for Nevada
Las Vegas Review-Journal By Sylvia M. Rowe
November 12, 2008
Letters to the Editor:
Instead of increasing taxes or cutting funding
for education and social services, the state of
Nevada should take advantage of California's ban on
gay marriage and make it legal here.
A June 2008 Williams Institute/UCLA School of Law
report titled "The Impact of Extending Marriage to
Same-Sex Couples on the California Budget" reports
that "allowing same-sex couples to marry will result
in approximately $63.8 million in revenue over the
next three years."
The report went on to say that "spending by
resident same-sex couples on their weddings, and by
out-of-state couples on tourism and their weddings,
will boost California's economy by over $683.6
million in direct spending over the next three
years."
Las Vegas is one of the top wedding destinations
in the country. By simply allowing gay marriage,
Nevada would stand to benefit from revenue due to
increased tourism, marriage licenses and other
associated spending. There would be no need to talk
about increasing room taxes -- a move that many
argue would decrease tourism -- because tourism
would get a boost as a result.
I know that there will be many people opposed to
allowing gay marriage in Nevada, most likely on
"moral grounds." However, morality becomes a moot
issue if you consider that Nevada legally allows
prostitution and gambling and has the most liberal
divorce laws in the country.
Nevada's current stance on gay marriage -- it's
forbidden by a voter-approved constitutional
amendment -- will serve only to hurt us in the long
run.
