#ncga: Moore County in the House
Jamie Boles is busy representin’ the Golf Capital of The World in the NC General Assembly. He’s introduced a bill allowing the county commissioners to redistrict themselves. Boles has introduced another piece of legislation that is sure to have some tongues wagging:
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO AUTHORIZE MOORE COUNTY TO LEVY AN ADDITIONAL OCCUPANCY TAX.
Note the word “additional.” The Boles bill appears to DOUBLE the existing local hotel occupancy tax from three percent to six percent. THAT is on top of any other applicable state and federal taxes and fees.
Occupancy taxes are popular with local pols because they hit visitors and NOT local folks who are registered to vote for said politician. But these taxes DO affect the cost of doing business, and CAN chase potential hotel guests to other counties or other lodging options. And you ARE raising the cost of doing business in a manner that affects all kinds of locally-based employees and contractors of said hotel / motel.
Yep. We’ve got our Republican legislator, and surely our all-Republican county board behind this tax increase.
I knew a guy, who knew a guy, who knew a guy, whose sister’s counsin knew a friend of a guy who’s brother’s cousin knew a guy who served in the house and he said that its an unwritten code that you never vote against another house members local bill. So I thought to myself well hell, who’s going to protect those people and speak for them when their own representative attack them with a tax increase. I sure hope there are representatives who vote against all tax increases whether they be local or statewide regardless of the unwritten code and secret handshakes. Please mountain area representatives raise hell if my coastal area representatives try to attack me and my family with a tax increase.
Gonna have to watch Jamie more closely. I can’t recall him formulating a bill to reduce taxes before. Maybe he spends too much time in Raleigh, and not enough absorbing the concerns of local business and those of the tax payer. Pretty low key fella. But, tax prone, Jamie.
Rep. Boles should not try to levy more taxes on the visitors here in Moore County. Several golf courses are closing due to lack of money and people are losing jobs and houses near these courses are dropping in value. Keep the taxes the same or lower them–we need more people to come here to play golf and if it is too expensive they will go somewhere else.
Respectfully submitted,
Jackie Wilson
This private bill is intended to provide a means to finance the new sports facility in Aberdeen that is quietly under discussion. As is usual here the effort is being planned behind closed doors. If the local CVB and State Association have signed on and if the large hotels say OK then the only losers may be smaller lodging facilities who might take an occupancy hit.
Local rate is 3% while most tourist destinations in NC charge 6%.
While I have a problem with unintelligent opposition to change the facility idea has been around for years and if executed properly can be a big plus for Moore County. WBBJr