Pickett Hotel Occupancy Tax Fails

Seven Pickett County Commissioners voted for a adding a hotel occupancy lodging tax for tourists staying through vacation rental companies.

But the resolution, passed on a 7-5 vote, failed to receive a two-thirds majority required to forward it to the State Legislature for consideration. The resolution has been discussed previously.

Commissioner Tony Beaty voted against the resolution. He said the lodging tax would discourage people from staying in Pickett County.

“When they spend money with us, all the sales tax money, all the money that we spend in for the Corp of Engineers,” Beaty said. “That comes back in flux. There is all kinds of money that comes back.”

Beaty said the county receives enough reimbursements through other taxes. The tax percentage was not shared during Monday’s teleconference, but other county lodging taxes range from 3-7 percent. The tax would be a percentage of the listing fee and cleaning costs for the rental.

The county has tried to make up revenue on rentals by making the owners purchase a business license before this resolution. County Executive Carey Garner said about 75 rental owners have purchased the license.

“The money not only comes from the rental,” Garner said. “Once you designate that property as a rental, and you get a business license, (…) the contents of the house are getting charged personal property tax on it. The refrigerators, the couch, the tv. All the contents of that house get a personal property tax on top of the regular property tax, because it is considered a business once you get a business license.”