Winnerman: Additional tax will hurt town
It seems the Aspen City council got a little too aggressive with the proposed extra tax in the already zoned commercial core and lodging. Its first mandate to register a property with a manager or owner is helpful.
That should protect any neighbor who feels paying guests are too noisy and disruptive can easily be reported and “policed.”
However, the additional tax above the already approximately 11.6% is very bad for our workers and the resort. Obviously, all the hotels and most in-town condos have a front desk and/or manager. Any obnoxious or disruptive paying guest already has immediate oversight.
The local or second-home owner in this district already collects this tax. Adding another 5-10% will only do the following: Fewer people will rent and most likely spend their vacation dollars in a cheaper ski town.
The newspaper reported last week that occupancy was down already 12.8%. By adding a penalty tax to our already hefty tax, fewer people will rent, and owners will get less income. So, it hurts the smaller, local owner who relies on resort rental to remain in this expensive town. It also means that occupancy will drop further, and there will be fewer jobs.
If you truly want to help the locals, please vote “no” on 2A. Let’s see what this winter business looks like with huge inflation already hurting our working and middle class before we continually add taxes to our coffers.
Lorrie B. Winnerman
Aspen
