Distributes 2.75% state transient lodging tax as 1.5% (no increase), adds 1% for Recovering Oregon’s Wildlife Fund, and adds 0.25% for poaching, wolf management and for Conservative and Recreational Fund, invasive control.
Changes the name of the Oregon Conservation Strategy Subaccount to the Recovering Oregon’s Wildlife Fund Subaccount. Takes effect on the 91st day following adjournment sine die
Oregon has nearly doubled the hotel lodging tax that was to be a temporary tax to fund Eugene sport programs, and now that the Olympics is over, that funding should be terminated. However, some legislators wish to expand the hotel tax to fund even more programs that appear completely unrelated to the hotels in Oregon. There have been controversies with Bend, Linn County and Salem for misusing their hotel tax dollars on unrelated expenses, now the legislature wants to do the same. Salem wanted to use hotel taxes to pay for library costs. This existing hotel tax would be in addition to local car rental taxes (Portland at 17%).
Other cities have not spent their tax. If cities don’t need the tax to promote tourism to their cities, then the tax is too high already.