-----Original Message-----
From: membership@fcm.ca [mailto:membership@fcm.ca]
Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2008 2:01 PM
To: Birrell, Sheila
Subject: Ottawa City Council Resolution Regarding a Hotel Room Tax

City of Ottawa

110 Laurier Avenue

Ottawa, ON

K1P 1J1

The Council of the City of Ottawa, at its meeting of 7 December 2007, adopted the following resolution:  

WHEREAS the tourism and hotel industry create new economic activity for the city of Ottawa which is appreciated but at the same time creates new infrastructure and servicing for the City of Ottawa;

WHEREAS this increased economic activity does not generate much in the way of new income to the city because the PST, GST and corporate taxes which result from tourism and hotel activity are not available to the city; the only tax that is available to the city is the property tax,

BE IT RESOLVED the council petition the provincial government for the authority to create a hotel room tax such that some of the municipal costs created by the tourism and hotel industries can be recouped;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED this petition be forwarded to the FCM and the AMO for distribution to their members.