Blocking room tax keeps area hotels competitive.
With alarming frequency, cities and counties throughout Oregon have floated the idea of increasing hotel room taxes to support deteriorating economic conditions in their local communities. Increasing hotel room taxes in this manner is nearly always an attempt to balance a local budget on the backs of the lodging industry without any appreciation for the adverse impact such an increase can have on local tourism. Attorneys Mark O’Donnell and Matthew Lowe have been successful in thwarting these efforts in several jurisdictions by educating local officials both on the adverse impact that an increase has on the community, as well as the applicable law that in many instances would be violated through such an increase.