Listen to this articleThe state of Utah would see an economic boost if marriage is extended to same-sex couples, says a report from the University of California School of Law’s Williams Institute.
“We predict that 1,955 in-state same-sex couples would choose to marry in the three years following an opening of marriage to same-sex couples in Utah,” the report by E.G. Fitzgerald, Christy Mallory and M.V. Lee Badgett says. “The total spending on wedding arrangements and tourism by resident same-sex couples and their guests would add an estimated $15.5 million to the state and local economy of Utah over the course of three years, with a $9.9 million boost in the first year alone.”
The boost would add a million dollars in sales tax revenue and support 268 full- and part-time jobs in the state.
“All of the findings from previous studies suggest that extending marriage rights to same-sex couples produces a positive impact on states’ economies. Similar conclusions have been reached by legislative offices in Connecticut and Vermont, as well as by the Comptroller General of New York,” the report reads. “The Congressional Budget Office has concluded that if all 50 states, in addition to the federal government, extended the rights and obligations of marriage to same-sex couples, the federal government would benefit by nearly $1 billion each year.”
The full report is available here.
