INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WTHI) - The Indiana Senate should vote on Senate Bill 35 on Thursday. This is a bill sponsored by Senator Jon Ford that would establish a Food and Beverage Tax in Vigo County. It passed a committee unaminously on Tuesday morning.
Ford believes the bill would generate $2 million annually. The bill would allocate those funds to pay for a convention center in Terre Haute.
"This year we're actually getting to testify on it," Ford said. "We didn't get to last time. We have a specific project, so that helps."
Several elected officials made the trip from Terre Haute to Indianapolis to testify on the bill's behalf. This includes Kelly Ford, who owns J Ford's Black Angus in downtown Terre Haute. She said she was surprised the bill passed committee unaminously.
"It was amazing," Ford said. "There were some tough questions in there."
We had a few of our own for Ford. Most centered around the idea that a Food and Beverage Tax could potentially be bad for business. The tax would add 1% to your bill. She assured us after talking with several restaurant owners in the city, they support the bill.
"All they wanted to know was to make sure that 1% went directly to tourism and to build the convention center," Ford told us.
If passed by the full Senate, SB 35 would go before the House Ways and Means Committee.
