Wisconsin Center District Board increases hotel tax

The Wisconsin Center District board Wednesday approved a 0.5 percent increase to the Milwaukee County hotel tax, raising the tax to 2.5 percent.

The additional tax revenue will be used to provide Visit Milwaukee with more funds to provide Milwaukee as a tourism and convention destination, said Jeff Sinkovec, director of finance for the Wisconsin Center District. The tax increase is supported by area hotels, he said.

“The hotel tax has been at 2.0 percent since 1996,” said Sinkovec. “The Greater Milwaukee Hotel and Lodging Association came to us a while ago with a letter requesting that the board of the Wisconsin Center district exercise its previously established authority to increase the hotel tax.”

The Wisconsin Center District was previously given the authority to increase the hotel tax up to as much as 3.0 percent, Sinkovec said.

Milwaukee County hotels begin collecting the 2.5 percent tax in January of 2011.

Reported by:  BizTimes.com