Arlington Chamber celebrates reinstatement of TOT surcharge to fund tourism

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 9, 2016

MEDIA: Meredith Smith, 703-525-2400 msmith@arlingtonchamber.org

ARLINGTON CHAMBER CELEBRATES REINSTATEMENT OF

TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX (TOT) SURCHARGE TO FUND TOURISM


	President & CEO Kate Roche testifying on behalf of the Chamber in front of the Senate Finance Committee in January.

Arlington, VA - The Arlington Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that Governor McAuliffe has signed into law the reinstatement of the additional 0.25% Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) for Arlington County.

"Reinstating Arlington's TOT was the Chamber's top priority for the 2016 legislative session , with the funds generated by the additional TOT providing much needed support to ensure that Arlington remains competitive in attracting leisure and business travel," said Kate Roche, President & CEO of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce.

SB 160, introduced by Senator Janet Howell, has already been signed by Governor McAuliffe, and the Chamber anticipates approval of HB 1147, introduced by Delegate Patrick Hope, soon.

In January, the Chamber sent letters to the Virginia Senate and House Finance Committees
expressing strong support for bills reinstating the additional 0.25% Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) for Arlington County, SB 160 and HB 1147 respectively. Also attached to the letters was a letter from the Hotel General Managers Committee requesting support for the bills. Both letters can be found on the Chamber website.

At the end of January, SB 160 was before the Senate Finance Committee, and Kate Roche testified on behalf of the bill, with a number of Chamber members present to show their support including 2016 Chair Todd Yeatts. HB 1147 was also heard in the House Finance subcommittee, with Kate Roche and Chris Raines, Hotel General Managers Committee Co-Chair each giving testimony. Both bills made it through committee and were voted on and passed by the Senate and House respectively.

"This was truly a collaborative effort between Chamber leadership, the Chamber's Hotel General Managers Committee, and our local and state elected officials, and we are so grateful that our efforts have paid off," said Todd Yeatts, 2016 Chamber Chair. " Thank you to our members who supported the efforts along the way."

ABOUT THE CHAMBER

Founded in 1924, the Arlington Chamber of Commerce is a member-centric, volunteer-based, non-profit organization of over 1,800 business and professional people committed to the economic and civic well being of the community. For more information or to become a member, visit www.arlingtonchamber.org.

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