U.S. Travel Reacts to Proposed Elimination of Brand USA in Tax Bill

U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President Jonathan Grella released the following statement:

“Brand USA is one of hundreds of programs in the bucket of mandatory spending items which could be affected by the rules required for spending offsets. We don’t believe that Brand USA is being singled out in anyway.

“In the hunt for revenue, cutting Brand USA would be a big step in the wrong direction. Brand USA is critical to helping maximize the economic benefits of travel. Last year, Brand USA’s activities generated $615 million in incremental federal taxes—more than four times its budget—and another $552 million in state and local taxes.”