Santa Barbara County voters are being asked to approve a tax hike on visitors which would help the county pay its bills.
Santa Barbara County is proposing raising its transient occupancy tax to raise millions of dollars a year to support county programs, and services. Many people know the tax as a bed tax, which is charged on hotel, motel, and vacation accommodations.
It’s currently 12%, but the proposal calls for raising it to 14% for unincorporated parts of the county.
County officials say if approved, the hike would raise about $3 million in additional money a year, which would be used for things like dealing with homelessness, crime prevention, and road repairs.
The tourism industry opposed the proposal, expressing concern higher lodging prices might hurt the number of visitors coming to the county.
Officials see this proposal as the best chance of generating additional revenue for the financially squeezed county. They looked at the idea of a sales tax hike, but concluded that it was unlikely voters would support one.
County officials say the county is facing a budget shortfall for the next few years. They say without the tax hike, there could be program and services cuts.
