Breckenridge residents will get a chance to vote on a proposed lift ticket tax after the town and Vail Resorts couldn't come to an agreement on how to split the costs of transportation upgrades. Jason Blevins, at the Denver Post, has the details on the breakdown between local government and resort operator as well as Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz's promises to fight the tax. As Blevins notes, lift ticket taxes aren't all that uncommon — the town of Vail, Mt. Crested Butte and Snowmass all tax tickets — but Vail Resorts preferred to negotiate a lump sum contribution to the upgrades rather than what Katz called an "everlasting revenue stream coming from our skiers and riders." Seems like Katz is trying to position Vail Resorts as the defender of the everyman Breck visitor who can't cast a ballot in the town. It'll be interesting to see if the Vail Empire wins this battle.
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