Bills › 88th General Assembly
Relating to the exemption from the hotel and motel taxes for the renting of lodging under certain circumstances
Topics:Taxes
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedJanuary 22, 2020
- Done: SubcommitteeJanuary 23, 2020
- Done: House committeeFebruary 6, 2020
- Stopped: Passes the HouseDied when the General Assembly ended
- Next: Senate committee
- Next: Passes the Senate
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Died when the session ended The 2020 session adjourned on June 14, 2020, the General Assembly’s last regular session. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
AI summary Currently, people do not have to pay hotel and motel taxes if they rent a place for more than a certain number of days in a row. This change would require guests to pay those taxes if they stay for that many days or fewer. It affects anyone renting rooms, apartments, or other sleeping spaces in places like hotels, motels, or inns.1
Read the official explanation
This bill modifies the exemptions from the state and local hotel and motel tax. Under current law, the sales price from the renting of lodging which is rented by the same person for a period of more than consecutive days is entirely exempt from state and local hotel and motel taxes. The bill changes the exemption and makes the renting of lodging at the following facilities subject to state and local hotel and motel tax if the person rents lodging for consecutive days or less: a room, apartment, or sleeping quarter in a hotel, motel, inn, public lodging house, or rooming house, or in any place where sleeping accommodations are furnished to a transient guest.
House subcommittee
Named January 23, 2020. On January 29, 2020 it recommended passage.
Three legislators hear a bill first and recommend what the committee should do; it’s the best time to weigh in. How to take part
Fiscal note
AI summary This bill changes the law so that the first 90 days of a lodging stay are subject to state and local hotel and motel taxes instead of being exempt after 31 days. This change is estimated to increase state and local tax revenues. The provided text does not include the specific dollar amounts for the estimated revenue increase.3
Read the fiscal note
Description
House File 2281 modifies the number of consecutive days a person must rent lodging for the sales price to be exempt from State and local hotel and motel taxes by making the first 90 days of a stay subject to taxation.
Background
Under current law (Iowa Code chapter 423A), the renting of lodging by the same person for a period of more than 31 consecutive days is exempt from State and local hotel and motel taxes. Iowa Code section 423A.7(4) requires that 50.0% of the revenue generated by local hotel and motel taxes be used for purposes related to recreation, convention, cultural, or entertainment facilities, or for the promotion and encouragement of tourist and convention business in the city or county and surrounding areas. The remaining revenues may be spent by the city or county for any operations authorized by law as a proper purpose for the expenditure within statutory limitations.
Assumptions
- In FY 2019, hotels and motels reported exempt sales of $50.6 million. These sales are assumed to be for long-term rentals, and other potential sales to exempt entities are assumed to be minimal.
- The State tax rate is 5.0%, and the effective local tax rate is 6.76%.
- Of the exempt hotel and motel sales, 10.0% are assumed to be for periods of 90 days or longer. Of that amount, it is assumed there is a decreasing number of stays beyond 90 days, and a stay of 120 days is used as the maximum. Therefore, 97.5% of currently exempt sales would become taxable.
Fiscal Impact
Changing the tax exemption is estimated to increase revenues as presented in the following table.
Source
- Department of Revenue
- Hotel and Motel Tax · February 10, 2020
- Hotel and Motel Tax · February 5, 2020