County Board Increases
Bed Tax 50% On Sept. 1
COOPERSTOWN – The county’s bed tax will increase by 50 percent after Sept. 1, the county board decided unanimously a few minutes ago.
The bed tax will rise from 4 percent to 6 percent, and is being levied in the fall to avoid have an impact on people who have already booked rooms for this summer.
Bookings for following summer usually begin in the fall, board Chair David Bliss, R-Cooperstown/Town of Middlefield, said.
There was no discussion, but in the past it has been generally agreed that an extra percent or two on a room bill in the hundreds of dollars is not a disincentive, and it’s generally not paid by local people.
The increase in the bed tax is a slap in the face to the people who visit our area. The come spend enough to make it a important in our local economy. Why punish them for coming to spend their hard earned money. It’s simply biting the hand that feeds you.
While I can certainly understand the financial pressures that the County endured this past year with a loss of revenue, I don’t think a 50% increase in anything, regardless of the beginning number, is acceptable. There should have been some discussion and or research from either the people that have reservation companies and or the property owners on how this could impact them. This kind of action is not what I would expect from a transparent process.
We booked a room for Alumni weekend at the end of Sept. and are considering not making the trip now due to the increase. Enough is enough!