Suffolk County will move forward with a plan to raise taxes on hotel and motel stays.
The tax on the per diem rate for nightly stays at lodging in the county will increase from 3% to 5.5%. It will apply to all guests, regardless of where they are from.
Since first implemented in 1991, officials say the tax has raised an estimated $11 million a year which is used for tourism promotion and the upkeep of historic sites throughout the county.
The increased rate will expand those efforts, while also supporting a new Suffolk County Infrastructure Fund, which would help build a proposed convention center in Ronkonkoma -- Long Island’s first.
Supporters like the fact that the rate increase will mostly affect non-residents, but critics say it’s another burden on small businesses.
