Unfair advantage?

I saw a letter to the editor this morning in The Marietta Times about the county fairgrounds in Marietta, OH having an unfair advantage over local RV parks. The county fairgrounds is subsidized by taxpayers and does not pay all the taxes and fees that a commercial RV park would pay, thus is able to charge less. According to the writer, the "Unrelated Business Income Tax" (UBIT) Act of 1950 passed by Congress discourages nonprofits from competing against for-profit businesses.

As RVers, we love cheap camping and parking! Stays at Walmarts, federal, state and local campgrounds help our budget. If we had to pay the average rate each night - which I would estimate at being $30-40/night - it would be prohibitive. We need to have these alternatives. Plus this alternative camping does not usually have near the amenities that a commercial RV park has. Who would pay $40/night to camp at a fairgrounds with no pool, limited or no showers and only a flat spot to park on? It's not worth that. The age-old question remains: if you didn't have a less expensive alternative, would you stay at the $40/night RV park?

What do you think? Leave your comments below. Jaimie Hall Bruzenak

Comments

[Janet Wilder]

If private RV parks would have special pricing for people who just want to spend a night and not use the amenities, they could compete with fairgrounds and parking lots.

[joe]

the article is not about the cost of rv sites. it is about unfair business advantages. let me put it another way. you own a gas station and the church across the street starts selling gas with no tax obligation. everyone agrees that cheaper gas is better. is that a fair business situation. remember we are a free enterprize system. why isnt everything done in a non-prifit? G.E, Dupont ???

[LisaRCT]

Nope, $40 a night is beyond my budget. Especially since I provide the bed, linens, hot water, and cleaning service.

[Tom Doyle]

We have been camping on fairgrounds for many years, having been in the fair business. There are very few fairgrounds where I would spend more than a couple of days if I didn't have to. However we do not care to spend $40 just for someplace to sleep for a few hours, regardless of the amenities.

[Jaimie Hall Bruzenak]

Joe, you have a good point, but then again, most fairgrounds campgrounds are not equal to the private ones in amenities or even the size of their spaces. Their sites are not worth as much.

Janet, I wish there was a way for RV parks to do just that, though I've had owners say that they would have no way of knowing if a customer paid for no service, but then used them.

Jaimie

[Mike]

The writer of the article makes no mention of what improvements the fairgrounds made for RVs nor compares the resulting level of price to amenities to that of a nearby private campground. Without those details it just comes across as sour grapes that people are using a lower cost camping option and is on par with those private campground owners that try to shut down local Walmart parking for the same reason.

[Jaimie Hall Bruzenak]

That's true, Mike. And, as someone who has stayed at a few fairgrounds campgrounds, there is usually a dramatic difference.

Jaimie

[Liz Bard]

Sometimes, if you are parking at the fairgrounds is because you or a family member is participating in something at the fairgrounds - livestock show, FFA, etc. and you have already spent money to enter the contest, etc. and you are only there because you also need to be near your animal, otherwise you would be at the more expensive one.

Or it could be you have a child participating in a sport - track and field, football, etc. and you want to encourage them by being there for their big games. A lot of families have to figure this into their budgets.

Also, some areas that are prone to hurricanes, some of these fairgrounds are marked as an evacuation area for you and your livestock (especially FFA projects, prize horses, etc.) so you can again be with your animals and care for them. Nacogdoches, TX is one place people from the Houston area have come to. The people will stay with their animals either sleeping in the horse trailer or trucks, unless they also had RV's or TT. This doesn't happen every year, thank heavens, but the people appreciate the little amenities that are provided.

[Jaimie Hall Bruzenak]

I hadn't thought of that angle, Liz. A couple of fairgrounds I have stayed at were in conjunction with an event.

Jaimie