A new survey from the Town of Collingwood asks what the hotel industry and residents think of the idea of a special levy added to hotel bills by the town.
Since last spring, council has been contemplating a municipal accommodation tax for Collingwood, to bring in revenue for the town from visitors staying here, and also help fund future tourism initiatives.
Considered by some as a "tourism tax" the municipal accommodation tax is typically around four per cent added onto a hotel or other commercial accommodation bill.
The tax is governed by the municipal act and so at least half of the revenue collected must be given to a not-for-profit tourism entity to be used to promote and develop tourism in the town and region.
The other half can go to the municipality to be used as the town sees fit.
Each municipality also has a choice over what types of accommodation the levy will apply to, such as, for example, hotels, bed and breakfasts, short-term accommodations like AirBnBs. In general, it would be for accommodations that are rented for less than 30 days. The tax applies to the cost of the accommodation, not to incidentals like meals.
About 40 municipalities in Ontario currently use a municipal accommodation tax.
The last town staff report went to council in April 2023. This week, the town announced a new survey aimed at gathering feedback from the accommodation industry and from the public. The results of the survey will be presented to council, according to a news release from the town.
You can access the survey via the town's Engage Collingwood page here. Hard copies of the survey are also available at the town hall. The survey closes Nov. 27 at 6 p.m.
Town of The Blue Mountains is also considering its own municipal accommodation tax and has launched a survey as well.
The following poll is from CollingwoodToday and is not the town's survey for a municipal accommodation tax. Please visit the town's Engage Collingwood page for the official survey that will be reported back to council.
