LAPORTE — LaPorte County and Michigan City are teaming up to hire a lobbyist to again fight proposed tax breaks for casinos that would come out of their pockets.
LaPorte County attorney Doug Biege said the cost will be $8,000 a month, or about $20,000 by the time the state legislative session is over at the end of April.
Each branch of local government is splitting the cost, he said.
"We're doing this together," said Biege.
LaPorte County Commission President Rich Mrozinski said gaming revenue here has gradually declined since Four Winds Casino opened outside New Buffalo about a decade ago.
He expects a further erosion of dollars once an Indian casino and tribal village approved by the federal government for South Bend is up and running.
State Reps. Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, and Jim Pressel, R-LaPorte, along with state Sen. Mike Bohacek, R-Michiana Shores, are the primary voices for LaPorte County in the Legislature.
Mrozinski, though, said Bohacek and Pressel are newly elected and still learning the ropes without the time a lobbyist has for waging a successful battle.
Of particular concern is a bill that would replace the $3 admissions tax with a 3 percent tax on gaming revenue.
Supporters of the legislation argue it's not fair to charge a casino $3 each time a customer enters the gaming floor while going back and forth from a restaurant or some other amenity on the premises.
The tax also discourages casinos from adding attractions to better compete against gaming facilities in other states because of a tax that can be levied several times on a customer during a single visit, opponents of the tax say.
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