Tillamook County is asking voters to approve a 40% tax increase via ballot measure 29-183 to increase the Transient Lodging Tax from 10% to 14%. Our economy is in the midst of uncertainty. Our budget needs better financial oversight. Let’s not shoot the golden goose by taxing our visitors right out of Tillamook County. Love it or hate it, tourism is vital to our economy both directly and indirectly.
Our overnight visitors pay their fair share when visiting via the current 10% Transient Lodging Tax. Raising the TLT to 14% raises the actual taxes visitors will pay by 40% despite calling this a 4% increase. TLT was originally projected to bring in $1,500,000 annually. 10 years later, the TLT is on track to bring in $8,000,000 annually. We simply don’t need more tourism funding.
By law, 70% of the TLT is spent on tourism. I support our sheriffs and public safety, but the funding for them from this increase is only 7% of the total TLT (80% of 30% of the increased TLT). Tourism will get 10x our sheriffs. We need a more efficient way to fund these vital services. The juice is simply not worth the squeeze.
This industry is vital to the Oregon Coast. Such a large increase in taxes may backfire by giving us the highest lodging tax along the coast (unincorporated areas in Lincoln County are 12% and only 10.5% in Clatsop County).
Our leaders need to budget more wisely, just like the families who visit and live here. We need to find a way to generate revenue from day-trippers who drive on the same roads and enjoy the same beaches as our tax-paying neighbors and visitors. TLT was not originally intended to be a bottomless cash register for Tillamook County, and no single group should be over-taxed due to falling timber revenues cited by our commissioners.
I am a homeowner in Tillamook County, and I share my home as a vacation rental with visitors who do not have a voice here. Please vote no on the 40% increase in TLT proposed by ballot measure 29-183.
Hillary Gibson
Neskowin, Oregon
