This story was originally produced by the Portsmouth Herald. NHPR is republishing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative.
Portsmouth Mayor Deaglan McEachern remains frustrated by a lack of support in the New Hampshire Legislature for creating a so-called “pillow tax” and what he sees as the unfair distribution of monies from the state meals and rooms tax.
“It’s frustrating we can’t charge people from Massachusetts $2 a night to stay here at one of our Portsmouth hotels,” McEachern said in an interview.
McEachern’s comments came after he recently testified in front of the state Senate Ways and Means Committee to try to win support for Senate Bill 634, which would give communities a “local option” to impose a pillow tax of no more than $2 per night, per room, to stay at a local hotel.
The mayor believes a pillow tax in Portsmouth — a tourist destination that draws people to historic venues, restaurants, downtown clubs and hotels — could bring in about $1 million in additional revenue per year. There are more than 2,000 hotel rooms in Portsmouth, city officials said.
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