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Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to local government
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Referred to local government
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Provides that the hotel room occupancy tax cannot be imposed in the county of Richmond
In Assembly Committee · Ways And Means · Sponsor Louis Tobacco
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend chapter 161 of the laws of 1970, relating to a hotel room occupancy tax in cities having a population of one million or more, in relation to exempting the county of Richmond from imposing such tax
Purpose
Provides that the hotel room occupancy tax cannot be imposed in the county of Richmond.
Summary of provisions
Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 1 of chapter 161 of the laws of 1970, relating to hotel room occupancy tax in cities having a population of one million or more, is amended by chapter 253 of the laws of 1980, to state that notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, except in the county of Richmond, any city having a population of one million or more is hereby authorized and empowered to adopt and amend local laws imposing in any such city a tax in addition to any tax authorized and imposed pursuant to article twenty-nine of the tax law such as the legislature has or would have the power and authority to impose on persons occupying hotel rooms in such city.
Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Justification
Richmond County (Staten Island), which has a population of over 450,000 people, struggles to compete with neighboring New Jersey as well as the other boroughs in New York City with regards to attracting tourists and business people to occupy hotel rooms. New Jersey's Hotel Occupancy Fee for Newark and Jersey City, NJ is just 1%. New York City's Hotel Occupancy Rate is five times that, at 5%.
This bill would help level the playing field with hotels located in New Jersey. It would lure tourists and business people to Staten Island, who are forced to stay in New Jersey because of lower hotel rates. This bill would not only create more business for Staten Island hotels, but it would bring more business to Staten Island's restaurants, tourism, and retail industries. Staten Island's proximity to Manhattan and Brooklyn make it an ideal place for travelers to stay at a lower cost than the rest of the City.
This bill would create a competitive environment for the hotel industry on Staten Island that compete with New Jersey operators. Currently, hotel's face a competitive disadvantage because they pay an occupancy tax this is roughly five times more than New Jersey's. Tourists are not staying in Staten Island by choice but because of economic reasons. The state must remain committed to fostering a friendly business environment for those located in New York. Furthermore, revenue implications of this bill will be minimal due to the few hotel rooms that occupy Staten Island, in comparison with Manhattan or Brooklyn.
Legislative history
2008: S.7189 - Referred to Local Government
Fiscal implications
Unknown.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.