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Area lawmakers plan to ask the state legislature for about $2 million a year more in its share of the hotel occupancy tax. The money would be used to keep clean and maintain a resource used by people statewide: area beaches. Funds would help pay for lifeguards, trash pickup and beach maintenance at McGee and North beaches.
The proposal would allow Corpus Christi to access 2 percent of the tax collected within city limits. While Corpus Christi and other coastal communities receive just 1 percent of the hotel and sales tax, other cities receive 2 percent. Two other Gulf Coast communities receiving 2 percent are South Padre Island, because of its proximity to Mexico, and Galveston. The Galveston exemption comes through a different state law already on the books.
The money would come from funds used to promote tourism across the state. If the city can prove a public demand for cleaner beaches and more amenities, the exemption could be granted.
