Clayton approves Resolution asking Legislators to raise Motel and Hotel Tax to 8%

All of the cities in Rabun County as well as the county itself want to raise the hotel and motel tax to 8%, which is the current tax in surrounding counties.  At their meeting on Tuesday, the Clayton City Council was the first to pass a resolution on the tax increase, explains Clayton Mayor Kurt Cannon.  “The Council unanimously approved asking the Legislature to put forward legislation to allow us to go up to 8% on the hotel and motel tax.  All of the communities around us are already at 8%.  Clayton and Rabun County are only at 5% and we looked at that and started talking about that more as the remodeled old Clayton Inn was being done and talking about how those people coming into the community and taxing our streets, roads, water, and sewer that it wasn’t fair for the local taxpayer to fund all of that.  That those people coming in should participate in funding a lot of those things.  So, we met with all of the other cities, Dillard, Sky Valley, and the Rabun County Commissioners and we all agreed that we needed to do it simultaneously and everybody go up at the same time.  So, we are moving forward with that idea and we passed a resolution to move forward with asking our Legislators to take it through the process and bring it back to us so we would be able to then raise it to 8%.”  The county and other cities are scheduled to vote on similar resolutions at their meetings this month as well.