Anaheim City Council Rejects the Proposed Disneyland Gate Tax
Earlier this week, we brought you the news that Anaheim lawmakers were considering implementing a new gate tax on Disneyland to help close the city’s budget deficit.
The new tax, which was proposed by City Councilwoman Natalie Rubalcava, would see Disneyland customers pay 3% more to enter the parks. The proposal also included an additional 10% parking tax.
Photo: OC Register
In total, lawmakers believed the additional fees would generate $164 million annually for the city.
The New Tax Targeted Disneyland
While the proposal did not specifically name Disneyland as its tax target, it did call for an additional toll on venues that hold at least 20,000 people.
In Anaheim, only Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure, and Angel Stadium meet that criteria. Angel Stadium, however, has a provision in its lease that would see it reimbursed for the additional taxation. That would essentially leave Disney to foot the bill.
Anaheim’s City Council Rejected the Tax
As we previously reported, the new Disneyland gate tax had little support among Anaheim lawmakers.
Photos: Voice of OC
In fact, ahead of the vote on the new tax, Mayor Ashleigh Aitken penned an op-ed in the Orange County Register voicing her opposition.
“We can keep trying to work with our partners and work with our resort community, and work with our business leaders to attract more investment, or we can bleed them dry,” she said. “I’d rather look at us tightening our belts than doing something that, to me, is just a bit shortsighted and not in the city’s best interest.”
Photo: Spectrum News
For the new gate tax to reach the 2026 ballot, five of the seven city council members needed to approve the measure.
That threshold was not met.
To Be Continued
While the gate tax will not be put to a referendum, the idea may reemerge. Councilmembers voted 5-2 to discuss revenue-generating ideas again during next month’s session.
Photo: Also Disney
For now, however, Disneyland has been spared the tax.
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below. One of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond-level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon! Also, thank you for reading!
