It’s Not Too Late for the City Council to Reverse Course on the Hotel Tax Plan

The measure to raise hotel taxes in order to fund a Convention Center expansion has hit some hurdles, all of which can still be overcome.

by Bob Nelson

Last year, city of San Diego tax revenues grew more slowly than expenses despite pension reforms. Even as a Republican, Mayor Kevin Faulconer knows there is little or no fat left to cut in the city budget.

​The revenue-expense gap is likely to continue for up to 30 years without new revenues. Unlike the federal government, cities aren’t allowed deficit budgets and they can’t print money. The choice we face is finding new revenue or cutting the bare bones services we suffer from in San Diego.

​The mayor’s solution to this problem is a good one: a hotel tax increase to fund an expanded Convention Center while financing programs to ease homelessness and repair local roads.

Read the full article on Voice of San Diego...