Empirical Evidence on the Economic Impacts of Hotel Taxes

Abstract

Tourist taxes are an important source of revenue for many governments. In the United States, all states impose them in the form of hotel/motel occupancy taxes, yet there is little ex post evidence as to whether such taxes affect occupancy rates. This study uses a precise establishment-level data source to examine California's varying rates by city, enabling powerful tests. The author finds that such taxes have negligible impacts on hotel sales and employment. On the other hand, hotels/motels operating in higher tax-rate cities tended to have more financial stress in terms of lower Dun and Bradstreet credit ratings.