A plan to raise taxes on New Orleans hotel and motel room sales hit a snag Wednesday when state Rep. Wesley Bishop pulled it off the House floor before lawmakers could consider it.
The New Orleans Democrat gave no explanation for the move, but Stephen Perry, president of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, predicted hours earlier that House Bill 1083 would be shelved. He also added that his allies in the tourism industry plan to keep it that way.
“We will fight to the end to keep from having a non-competitive hotel tax,” Perry told a lunchtime crowd at the Marriott New Orleans hotel.
The proposal could add another 1.75 percent to occupancy taxes for hotels and motels to help Mayor Mitch Landrieu cover the rising costs of ordered improvements to the New Orleans Police Department and Orleans Parish Prison and the city’s debt to the firefighters pension fund.
But Perry and others in the tourism industry have opposed the bill, believing it would hobble New Orleans’ ability to attract large conventions and events.
The disagreement has sparked a rare tension between Landrieu and the hospitality industry.
“Yes, there have been divisions,” Perry said. But, he said, “We’ve agreed to be friends and we agree to disagree.”
Bishop’s decision didn’t kill HB 1083, which could be rescheduled for a vote before the legislative session ends on June 2.
Staff writer Mark Waller contributed to this report.
Comments are closed.