Rally-generated taxes slide in 2024
Revenue department estimates Sturgis bike festival collected $1.4 million for governments earlier this summer
The South Dakota Department of Revenue estimates tax collections from the 2024 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally were $1,399,501, according to a news release. Taxes collected included state sales tax, tourism tax, municipal sales tax, and municipal gross receipts tax.
Revenues from temporary vendors in the Black Hills were down 3 percent compared to 2023. State sales tax accounted for most of the collections with $790,805. At this time last year, the department had collected $818,784 in state sales tax. The department’s 2024 collections also included $271,322 in state tourism tax and $337,374 in municipal taxes.
The 2024 rally had 896 temporary vendors, 17 less in attendance than 2023.
The Northern Black Hills, which includes Sturgis and all other communities in Meade and Lawrence counties, accumulated $992,067 in tax from the 699 vendors present, an 8 percent decrease in tax collections from a year ago.
The Southern Black Hills, which includes Rapid City, Custer, Hill City, and Keystone, had 197 temporary vendors with $407,434 in total tax collected, increasing 12 percent from 2023.
I don't know about sex trafficking as despite significant efforts to "catch" sex traffickers it's mostly turned up some sex workers and locals soliciting them, but that's another story. For sure drugs and gang members and traffic accidents (12 motorcycle deaths statewide both before and after and during the rally) and folks who just want to party and watch the show. I'm guessing some of the drugs included marijuana and had our governor not worked so hard to over turn the will of the people, I'm thinking we'd have seen revenues from recreational marijuana use make up this year's shortfall. I'm not sure our purported "SD values" have ever been antithetical to the rally (or at least to making money off of it as Chuck notes).
The Sturgis Motor Cycle Rally is Sex Trafficking, Drugs, Criminal Gangs, and Traffic Deaths. SD Values? Is it OK as long as there is a lot of Tax Revenue? But Marijuana is not?