Higher tax for New Orleans hotel guests latest bill passed in city infrastructure deal

Higher tax for New Orleans hotel guests latest bill passed in city infrastructure deal; see next steps


Hotel guests in New Orleans will pay a bit more for their overnight lodging, under a bill given final legislative approval by the state Senate on Saturday.

House Bill 522 is part of the package crafted by New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the hospitality industry to address the city’s infrastructure crisis.

HB522, approved on a 31-2 vote, will increase the tax on hotel guests by 1 percentage point. It will raise about $12 million per year. Only state Sen. John Milkovich, D-Keithville, and state Sen. Dale Erdey, R-Livingston, voted against HB522, which is sponsored by state Rep. Neil Abramson, D-New Orleans.

On Friday, the state Senate gave final legislative approval to House Bill 43, which authorizes the New Orleans City Council to ask voters in the October primary to raise the tax on Airbnb and other short-term rentals by 6.75 percentage points.

Read more: https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/legislature/article_9a663132-8495-11e9-ad9e-e7d1daee6ff0.html