Today, BGR releases The Lost Penny: An Analysis of the Orleans Parish Hotel Tax Structure. The report explains the origin and details of the tax structure. It then compares Orleans Parish hotel taxes to best practices for taxation as well as state and national norms, focusing primarily on the share of revenue available for general municipal purposes. BGR’s analysis results in two key findings: (1) Orleans Parish hotel taxes for general municipal purposes should increase by at least the equivalent of a 1% tax (currently $12.3 million) and (2) the hotel tax structure lacks accountability and transparency. The report makes recommendations for addressing both findings, while minimizing any impacts on tourism-related entities that rely on hotel taxes.
Click here to get the full report, a two-page overview and media release.