SUDBURY, Ont. — The finance committee of the City of Sudbury, Ont. has voted to impose a four-per-cent hotel tax on visitors — to be applied per room, per night — according to The Sudbury Star.
The tax will go into effect on July 1, with half of the revenue collected from the tax to be used to help tourism organizations, while the other half — more than $800,000 annually — will be used to help pay for the new events centre on The Kingsway.
Currently, there are more than 2,000 hotel rooms in Sudbury, from bed-and-breakfast accommodations to international hotel chains. More are planned, as hotels have already shown interest in The Kingsway entertainment district and the city’s new “arts cluster” downtown will likely include a high-end hotel. There are also approximately 80 Airbnb listings in the city. Airbnb listings are not exempt from the hotel tax, but staff admit it could be tricky to track availability and collect the tax from homeowners.
A staff report estimates the four-per-cent room tax could generate approximately $1.68 million per year.
