[charlie1]

Just got the mail ballot and it does not explain the Tourism Tax the county wants to re-instate. I know it is not much for people that do AIRBNB etc but an additional 2% is at least something! Wish it was a graduated scale with short term rentals being taxed at a significantly higher rate!

Anyway, all the proceeds go to the Tourism Commission which allocates the money based on applications submitted by groups within the county.

Anyway, for those that do not know the details, here is a summary!

According to Sumter County's proposal, the 2% tax applies to transient rentals of six months or less. It is paid by the guest/renter, not directly by county residents unless they rent qualifying lodging themselves.

Examples include:

Hotels and motels
Campgrounds and RV parks
Bed-and-breakfasts
Condominiums rented short-term
Short-term vacation rentals (such as Airbnb and **** properties)
Mobile home parks and other temporary lodging accommodations

The tax would apply to the rental charges and certain mandatory fees, including:

Room or rental rates
Mandatory cleaning fees
Non-refundable pet fees
Resort or amenity fees


IT DOES NOT APPLY TO:

Ordinary retail purchases
Restaurant meals
Gasoline
Property taxes
Long-term rentals exceeding six months
Lodging transactions that are exempt from Florida transient rental sales tax

[Bill14564]

Worth considering but need to think about what the money can be used for.

Florida Statute 125.0104 limits this revenue to tourism promotion and specific tourism-related purposes — marketing, and publicly or nonprofit-owned facilities such as museums, auditoriums and convention centers.

It cannot be moved into general county spending, road repair, law enforcement or fire services.

So basically the money collected could only be spent on encouraging more people to visit the county during tourist season. Yes, money spent on facilities (museums, possibly parks, etc) are things that we might use as well.

One of the arguments for ending it back in 2020 was criticism that the money was being used to fund the nightly entertainment in the squares which could be viewed as subsidizing the Developer's advertising.

[BuyckCabin]

Any tax increase is a bad tax increase.

[charlie1]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

s.[/INDENT]
One of the arguments for ending it back in 2020 was criticism that the money was being used to fund the nightly entertainment in the squares which could be viewed as subsidizing the Developer's advertising.

Not sure if that statement is true, but it probably make sense as most of the money was collected on rentals within the Villages. Maybe the renters should pay a portion of the entertainment! Seems like the entertainment continued after the tax was eliminated but now the merchants pay for it. The merchants now need to add the money they contribute for entertainment to the cost of what they sell!

[charlie1]

Originally Posted by BuyckCabin

Any tax increase is a bad tax increase.

"Nothing is certain in life except death and Taxes" That's the real world! I'm just happy when they introduce new taxes that do not impact me!

[tophcfa]

Being proactive in trying to replace lost revenue in case the homestead tax exemption bill passes. Just wondering exactly how far the tourists can be pushed before they start finding other places to visit?

[gorillarick]

Seems short-sighted and 2% not worth the bureaucracy.

Time for county to start looking for ways to increase revenue with the possibility of property tax being gutted.

Why only tourism revenue?
Don't tourists wear out our roads and other infrastructure like everyone else?

[Sandancer]

Vote no!

[Babubhat]

Originally Posted by Sandancer

Vote no!

Answer is always no. There will be many more tax increase proposals to follow if it passes. It’s never enough

[Northwoods]

I totally agree -vote yes!! My understanding is that a portion of that tax did go to fund entertainment at the squares. That’s a good thing.

There has been some speculation on social media that some TV special events are being eliminated. Here’s an opportunity to potentially have revenue for those events.

If you vote ‘no ‘ and activities go away, I don’t want to see the outcry on social media. Residents aren’t paying this tax!!

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Northwoods

I totally agree -vote yes!! My understanding is that a portion of that tax did go to fund entertainment at the squares. That’s a good thing.

There has been some speculation on social media that some TV special events are being eliminated. Here’s an opportunity to potentially have revenue for those events.

If you vote ‘no ‘ and activities go away, I don’t want to see the outcry on social media. Residents aren’t paying this tax!!

But weren’t the events canceled because there were too many people and the crowds were too large?

Yes, the Developer could determine that the squares were no longer needed to attract buyers and end the music. It could also happen that the Tourism Council decides the squares are a marketing tool for a private business and not the thing that county tourism promotion dollars should fund.

[BuyckCabin]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

It could also happen that the Tourism Council decides the squares are a marketing tool for a private business and not the thing that county tourism promotion dollars should fund.

Would they be wrong?

[JoMar]

Originally Posted by Northwoods

I totally agree -vote yes!! My understanding is that a portion of that tax did go to fund entertainment at the squares. That’s a good thing.

There has been some speculation on social media that some TV special events are being eliminated. Here’s an opportunity to potentially have revenue for those events.

If you vote ‘no ‘ and activities go away, I don’t want to see the outcry on social media. Residents aren’t paying this tax!!

Wow, lot of misinformation in that one......Vote NO

[Normal]

AI involvement with the books should increase enforcement while decreasing additional revenue needs. New software actually scans AirBnb/**** openings, owners and applicable taxes for the IRS. Enforcement could eventually bring more revenue anyway?

[FastAndCurious]

YA, let's shoot the golden goose that flies in here for a short time, pumps money into the economy, and uses very little resources while we give big property tax breaks to residents who use county resources 365 days a year.
That sounds logical. Why am I not surprised.