County includes Airbnb in updated occupancy tax law

PLATTSBURGH | The Clinton County Legislature last month approved a revised occupancy tax law designed to collect revenue from online travel agencies like Airbnb, and direct some of the revenue to continued development of Plattsburgh International Airport. The local occupancy tax law, which allows the county to collect a 3 percent tax on the rate of each room rented here, is renewed every three years. The revenue from the tax directs funds in part to the North Country Chamber of Commerce for marketing to boost tourism. The county also keeps a portion, 15 percent of which is used to incentivize new airlines to establish service at Plattsburgh International. "It's working, it's doing good stuff," North Country Chamber of Commerce President Garry Douglas said about the occupancy tax, just a few hours after the first United flight from Washington, D.C. landed at the airport. Douglas said there's a "very real connection" between development at the airport and tourism, and by adding online travel agencies to the law, it will effectively expand revenue for both the county and the local chamber. "(The updates will) only let us do even more in terms of developing the tourism of Clinton County, creating jobs, sustaining business and bringing in more sales tax for the county," he said. "We support the adoption of the law as proposed." As part of the law, the first $440,000 in occupancy tax revenue will be split between the North Country Chamber of Commerce (who gets 95 percent of the funds) and the county (5 percent of the funds). Any revenue above that first $440,000 will still be split between the two, but with 85 percent going to the chamber at 15 percent to the county for the airport. An additional $15,000 will be reserved by the county for air service development incentives, according to the Clinton County Treasurer's Office, and in their marketing plan, the North Country Chamber of Commerce will commit 5 percent of the projected revenue to marketing of United Express and other carriers at the airport. The new United Express service to Washington, D.C. marked a milestone for the area, Douglass said, the fruit of years of collaboration between local officials and stakeholders. The implementation of the county's occupancy tax law in 2008 was also a milestone, according to Douglas. "This is the only real investment counties make in generating sales taxes," he said. Last year, the county garnered $594,411 in revenue through occupancy taxes. So far this year, the occupancy tax law has generated $259,958 in revenue, with the county receiving $12,997 and the chamber, $246,960. According to the Treasurer's Office, that's up from last year. By this time last year, the tax had generated $4,270 less, $242,240.

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County includes Airbnb in updated occupancy tax law

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