KINGSTON – Following hours of debate, the Ulster County Legislature Thursday night voted to increase the room tax from two percent to four percent.
The lawmakers approved an amendment to apportion the percentage of the tax based on whether a business offers more than just room and board, such as all-inclusives.
Legislator Herb Litts suggested that they were being forced to support the increase because of action taken by the county executive.
“The county executive put in her budget to the occupancy tax before the legislature voted to increase the property tax. That’s a practice that is backwards, putting the cart ahead of the horse,” he said. “I don’t know why we would ever put something in the budget that we have not passed an increase.”
After much debate, a challenge to a decision of the chair and including short-term rentals in the resolution, it was adopted 13 to 8, to take effect on January 1, 2024.
