On Oct. 2, the Court of Common Pleas of Lorain County, Ohio issued a decision in the local lodging tax case involving the City of Avon. The court found that the lodging tax enacted by Avon in late 2014 conflicts with the Ohio Revised Code and is illegal. The court declared that the additional three percent tax may not be collected by the City.
In October of 2014, the City of Avon adopted an ordinance enacting an additional lodging tax over and above the amount it was statutorily permitted to impose. After attempts and the hospitality industry to advise the city of the illegality of such a move, The Ohio Assn. of Convention and Visitors Bureaus, The Ohio Hotel and Lodging Association and the Ohio Travel Association joined to take legal action to protect consumers against this overreach. This action took significant investment, but is important because it fights a bad precedent that could have been adopted by other local jurisdictions if allowed to stand.
The full decision can be downloaded here. The case may still be appealed, but the current decision is a positive one for the industry.
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