Coachella Festival Saved From 'Outrageous' Amusement Tax
. Last July, tempers flared as festival promoter Goldenvoice threatened to move the now two-weekend arts and music event out of Indio over a proposed "outrageous" amusement tax. After the announcement hit the media, councilman Sam Torres quickly backed down from his controversial ticket tax proposal. On Wednesday (April 3), Indio, with its 77,000 residents, approved a proposal by Goldenvoice to continue operations while also expanding the festivities into the city proper. Monetarily, this is a great move for the Indio economy. Not only does the city receive $2.33 per ticket (with the number increasing to $5.01 next year), but the Los Angeles Times is reporting that the combined force of Coachella and Stagecoach (country music festival) contributed to create an economic impact of around $89.21 million dollars in 2012 alone. With a majority vote from the city council, Goldenvoice will also have the ability to put on concerts in the fall although there are no definite plans in the works. The proposal sets the stage for Goldenvoice to increase its concert offerings from three events per year to five. more on this story Radio.com is an official news provider for antiMusic.com.
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