June 20, 2008
Bloomberg on Hotel Tax: Golden Goose Killer
Mayor Bloomberg came out strongly against a proposed 8% hotel tax, saying that tourism was NYC's proverbial golden goose and that taxing it to death would be the wrong move. The additional tourist tax was proposed in the City Council by members who are trying to figure out how to avoid slashing $450 million from the Dept. of Education's budget next year.
Bloomberg pointed out that with rising fuel costs and a slowing economy, tourism is down 17% nationwide, while tourism to NYC is up 9% year over year. The city's been benefiting by the relative weakness of the US Dollar, which has been attracting foreign tourists from places like Europe, who view New York as a bargain destination.
Back in 2006, Bloomberg set the goal of having 50 million tourists come to NYC by the year 2015. But with 46 million visitors last year, he believes the city can reach the 50 million number by 2012. Still, some bargain hunters are finding ways to avoid the expenses of NYC hotels...by booking rooms in NJ hotels!
Photo, by neps at flickr, with golden egg adjustment
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luckily when my family comes to visit nyc they can just stay with OTHER family, but should that not work out, the usually stay in nj. i mean, you can stay in places that are like blocks from the PATH and be in the city pretty quick. my dad always was a cheap jew.
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Of course, Bloomberg cares more about the tourists than those who actually live in NYC. So , he'd rather cut $450 million from the Dept. of Education.
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god forbid a politician can cut useless services instead of constantly finding ways to nickel and dime everyone.
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we're eventually going to choke to death on paying for entitlements.
Seriously. The income earned by the hotel is taxed. The wages earned by the hotel workers is taxed. Hotel stays are already taxed.
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Why shouldn't there be a hotel tax? When New Yorkers visit any other city, from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, they're hit with hotel taxes between 5 and 15%.
Tourists add a lot to the city, but they also make things crowded and unpleasant, use resources and should be expected to give something back. I'd rather see tourists hit than New Yorkers.
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Bloomberg will turn this city into a museum like Florence or Venice.
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for all the extra millions we pour into the education system year in and year out, we see less and less return on our tax money. As politically difficult as it is, I think a cut in in order. We need to hammer out a lot more efficiency out of what we already put in. NYC is not alone, property taxes are literally killing the rest of the state. Education has unfortunately become a political tool and a black hole of our tax money - i am not saying it's not important to fund schools, but that the money must be spent wisely, not just dumped into the already terrible bureaucracy.
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I agree Kissel (post #7)!
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what the fuck is up with Albany? seriously, they are dicks!
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roe, there IS already a hotel tax
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they'll pay, what are they gonna do?
stay at a hostel? stay in NJ? stay in LI?
the hotel business are booked solid, next they'll be buying up all the property that's for sale due to foreclosures.
I thought Bloomberg has control of the DOE, where's the payback in that?
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Hotel tax is 13.25% plus $2 per room per night (including sales tax).
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/newyorkcity/0021020016.html
so it's at about 5% plus $2 in addition to normal sales tax.
granted, that isn't a big number compared to states that change a higher percentage, but our average room rate is also much higher.
sometimes we need a better answer to these money problems than let's just tax the f__k out of people because we think we can get away with it. why are education, the MTA, etc., the bottomless money pits that they are? Because they have no real incentive to be better-- they can just waste money and then get more by raising rates.
Money is a finite resource and our government needs to learn how to tighten its belt just like everyone else does.
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Institute a bedbug tax.
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Tourists also bring up the prices in certain neighborhoods that are now "posh" for their cultures (in ten years gentrification will kill them).
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I'd rather see children stay with taxidermists & vivisectionists than leave them in care of NYC public school teachers.
I hate slow moving tourists, but they leave enough money behind. No need to sock them with additional taxes. Maybe Wendy Weingarten would shut up & start to TEACH? Has she ever?
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An 8% tax won't hurt tourists that can afford $400 a night hotel rooms, $100 theater tickets and luxury shopping sprees. People will still come here.
Bloomberg also said he didn't want to tax the rich because he didn't want to chase them away. Rich people already have more than one residence other than NYC.
Bloomberg doesn't have a problem taxing the working residents of NYC with idiotic ideas like congestion pricing. Bloomy keep on showing us you are only working for the top 1% and not the rest of us. Can we get rid of this guy already? Does anyone have any good dirt on Bloomberg?
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Yeah Bingo, because YOUR peeps have been here longer than the crackers have.
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I'm with BINGO on this one: yeah, fuck off, tourists! Go back home to Ohio and tell everyone how awful NYC is; how horrible the smells are; how expensive everything is; and how nasty and rude the people are! Help us out BINGO, go stand in the middle of Times Square and...just be yourself.