Canton, Waynesville to consider room tax increases Downtown Waynesville.
A tax bill sponsored by two western Republicans that’s currently making its way through the North Carolina General Assembly has the potential to bring even more room occupancy tax money to the town of Maggie Valley, but as other municipalities across the county and the region consider asking for potential inclusion in the bill, there’s concern over implementation and administration.
North Carolina’s room occupancy tax system has been in place for quite some time, and operates on a fairly straightforward principle. Whenever someone rents from a lodging establishment, a tax above and beyond the nightly room cost is levied and then spent on marketing or tourism-related expenses.
Maggie Valley occupancy tax on the horizon Wednesday, May 05, 2021 Maggie Valley may have the opportunity to levy a 2 percent occupancy tax within its town limits.
Maggie Valley may have the opportunity to create its own Tourism Development Authority for the purpose of promoting tourism in the town if House Bill 412 becomes law. Both the Mayor and the Board of Aldermen have expressed support for the idea.
The bill is sponsored by Western North Carolina Republican Representatives Mark Pless and Mike Clampitt. Filed in March, it originally included all of Haywood County as well as Bryson City, raising the occupancy tax from 4 to 6 cents in Haywood and creating a new tax for the town of Bryson. In the original bill, revenue from the tax could only be spent on a sports park, an amphitheater or a convention center. For Maggie Valley, these specific spending requirements didn’t make sense.