Arlington’s hotel tax surcharge bill refuses to die.
The Senate version of Arlington’s special tax bill passed a House of Delegates Finance subcommittee, ARLnow.com reports. The same committee, headed by Del. Tim Hugo, R-Fairfax, had previously squashed a House version of the bill weeks ago in a spat over Arlington’s HOT lanes lawsuit.
Hugo now says he still intends to vote against the legislation, but would not block it in committee.
The Senate already passed the legislation, introduced by Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple, D-Arlington, but the House must pass the bill by a two-thirds vote.
If passed, the bill would allow Arlington to continue charging its 0.25 percent surcharge tax on hotel rooms and use the revenue to fund the county’s tourism efforts. However, changes to the bill mean that the county will now have to seek the General Assembly’s approval every year to renew the tax. Previously, the tax had a three-year sunset provision.
