Baton Rouge voters approve tax on hotel rooms by big margin
Voters in East Baton Rouge Parish approved a new sales tax on hotel rooms to pay for tourism initiatives and renovations at the Raising Cane's River Center.
The proposed 2 percent sales tax was was not considered by voters in Baker, Central, Zachary and parts of north Baton Rouge because the tax would not be levied on hotels in those areas.
Proponents pitched the tax during the campaign season as "the tax we don't pay," reflecting the fact that it is levied on visitors to the city. They said Visit Baton Rouge needs the increased revenue for tourism promotions, such as drawing sports tournaments and business conferences to the city. Improvements also need to be made to the River Center, proponents said.
Voters rejected a similar proposal a year ago.
With all 223 precincts reporting, the unofficial vote total was 15,612, or 61 percent, for the tax, and 9,951, or 39 percent against the measure.
Read more: http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/elections/article_08033d34-cc96-11e7-953d-7ba14fdfbff9.html
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