DEAR EDITOR: The River Parish Tourism Commission has enacted an unjust tax on the hotel/motel owners of St. John the Baptist Parish. In an effort to further fund their marketing endeavors, the commission has received authority to levy an additional 2-cents sales tax on motel occupancy. While I fully support efforts to market the River Parishes as a tourist destination, I cannot support a plan that has St. John the Baptist Parish contributing over $100,000 while St. James Parish will pay zero.

Under the current legislation, an additional 2-cents sales tax will be levied on hotels and motels in the tri-parish area. According to past sales tax receipts, the tax would generate approximately $50,000 from St. Charles Parish, $100,000 from St. John the Baptist Parish and zero from St. James Parish.

The reason, of course, is that St. James Parish has no hotels or motels to charge this tax. Several hotel/motel owners in St. Charles Parish and St. John the Baptist Parish have gone on record as opposed to this tax.

According to them, the majority of their guests are commercial travelers and not tourists. It seems strange that such a disproportionate funding method would be proposed. I am sure that if the River Parishes wish to fund such an endeavor, an equitable cost-sharing formula can be worked out. Our parishes work together all the time on such regional endeavors.

The timing is also bad for St. John the Baptist Parish, because we are in the process of building the River Parishes’ first multi-purpose civic center. This building will have the potential to draw people to our parish for overnight stays. The hotel/motel industry in the future could additionally dedicate funds to market and operate this facility, once it is up and running.

Hopefully, the tourist commission will re-think their position. If this additional funding is needed, certainly an equitable revenue-generating plan is not an unreasonable request.

Duaine Duffy

Councilman-at-Large

St. John the Baptist Parish