Hotel/motel tax increased to 3%
The Suffolk County legislature voted last Thursday to increase taxes it imposes on hotel and motel charges by a vote of 13 to 5.
The hotel/motel tax will increase from its current .75 percent to 3 percent, perhaps as early as this December, according to a statement from William Lindsay, presiding officer of the legislature. That will result in revenue from the tax more than tripling.
Mr. Lindsay, whose press release was titled “Suffolk hits back at city for MTA tax,” stated, “This increase in the hotel/motel tax is going to have almost no impact on Suffolk County residents but it will recoup from visitors from New York City some small percentage of the hundreds of millions of dollars we pay every year to support New York City’s buses, subways, bridges and tunnels.
“The MTA payroll tax was highway robbery and this increase in our hotel/motel tax is a small step toward restoring fair play between the city and Suffolk County,” said Presiding Officer Lindsay.
Ed Romaine, Shelter Island’s county legislator, voted against the tax. “The hospitality industry has taken a big hit this year” and should not be targeted for tax increases, he said during a phone interview. He described the tax as “a real blow to the East End” that will not only impact hotels but will have a ripple effect on restaurants and seasonal businesses. Mr. Romaine added that the revenues from the tax were included in the 2010 county budget presented by Mr. Levy on the day of the vote.