Marketing and promotion levy subject of July 3 meeting at Digby Fire Hall

DIGBY, N.S. — The Town of Digby and the Municipality of Digby are hosting a public meeting regarding a proposed marketing and promotion levy.
The levy would be a flat fee of $2 per room night sold, paid by the visitor, on fixed roof establishments with 10 or more rooms. 
It would be collected by the establishment and submitted monthly (by the 20th of the following month) to the municipality or town, depending on where the establishment is located. The municipality and town would then forward the funds to the Digby Area Tourism Association.
For the past couple of years, the Digby Area Tourism Association (DATA), a volunteer organization, has worked to co-ordinate marketing efforts for the Digby area as a tourism destination. 
The marketing and promotion levy would be to secure a “more appropriate and reliable revenue source” that would support an integrated and expanded marketing effort for the promotion of the Digby Area as a destination, say proponents.
The levy could fund tourism marketing in order to develop and expand the local economy and local tourism industry (for example, strategies to expand the season) without an extra cost to Digby taxpayers. The money saved would be directed back into the community through tourism employee wages, local purchases and taxes.
Based on information from Tourism Nova Scotia, the five-year average number of room nights sold in the Town of Digby and Municipality of Digby is about 69,000 annually. With a room levy of $2 per room per night, the funds raised would be $138,000 annually. 
The levy would be paid for by the customer and must be shown on any receipt, bill or other document issued for accommodation.