HIT THE JACKPOT

STUDY: Passing Marriage Equality Would Net Illinois More Than $100 Million

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illinoisstatemapForget about doing the right thing: a study released on Wednesday indicates that by legalizing same-sex marriage, the state of Illinois would generate up to $103 million in the local economy.

Produced by UCLA’s Williams Institute, the report adds up several sectors that would benefit from allowing same-sex couples to tie the knot:

* Illinois’ wedding industry would see an increase of about $74 million

* The influx of out-of-town guests would mean an additional $29 million

* State and local tax revenue would rise by $8.5 million.

* Roughly 280 new jobs would be created by the uptick in weddings

New York has seen some $275 million pour into the state economy after marriage equality passed in 2011—even Iowa gets an annual $12 million boost from same-sex nuptials.

“Aside from the moral imperative for equal marriage, this study demonstrates that it is also an economic booster for our state,” said Rick Garcia, Ddirector of the Equal Marriage Illinois Project. “States that have equal marriage have had a positive financial impact. With the current economic issues that Illinois is facing equal marriage could be a financial blessing.”

C’mon Illinois legislators—make it rain!

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