It is 0.5% and generates 1.25 million dollars a year. You could drive to city hall, show your driver's license or ID that we use when voting with your address and be granted a card. The card would be good for one year and exempt us from ALL tourism taxes. (not just the .5% proposed increase)  

If you read Ramos' articles you will see it isn't just .5% we are paying. It is WAY more than that.

Sorry for not wanting to pay higher taxes. I guess money isn't important to some of you. How about we raise it to 1% and double it? Why not 2% and hire more workers at VisitDuluth.com? 

What is the tax ratio that the hotels pay as opposed to this tax that goes on us? What do the restaurants pay their workers and in their business taxes as opposed to me as a paying customer paying this "tourist" tax to eat locally? 

I'm just curious?

One more thing about the free parking passes for tax paying local residents... This would encourage locals to shop downtown and help our downtown local shops. Otherwise too many people drive up to the mall and Hermantown where they can park for free. Take a casual drive down 1st street downtown and count the "for sale" or "for lease" signs. Take a look at the Kozy building boarded up year after year. Free parking for local shoppers would help the downtown area. Why walk several blocks to the Fetus and pay for parking when I can go to Best Buy and park for free and walk a few steps? We need to encourage shopping downtown. Also, why block off an entire block of parking for the building nextdoor to the Fetus?  

We need to promote our local establishments, not punish the very citizens who pay high taxes already to live here.

I just think we should get a card that exempts us. I like the idea of local restaurants issuing 10% off cards for locals. I also would like for locals to get free parking to increase business downtown. If I shop in the Fitger's mall I get my parking validated. More things like that would help our city and local businesses.

And schools are a great thing that I support and don't mind paying taxes for. A locker room for UMD on the other hand doesn't further young minds and is a waste.

Paul & Merritt - I know it would be difficult. That is why I thought it would take citizens going to City Hall with identification and then applying for the card. Not all would do it so the city would still get their $$$. In a way my argument is as flawed as the tax itself is.  

It is probably a pipe dream, but I don't think raising taxes .5% on restaurants is the right way to go. ($0.50/$10 MORE) Merrit, I could argue your own argument against your interests as you brag about good streets and having the money go to your side of town. I don't want it to go to the Endion area either though, but I don't think it should just be wasted. If I am paying a "tourist" tax and it cannot go to anything that won't enhance tourism it doesn't make sense to me. If you told me you were raising the sales tax .5% I would be less upset. 

Although, how high will taxes go here? My power/gas bills are rising, my school taxes are rising, and now my "tourist" tax for living here and eating locally will be rising. My gas is more expensive here because the gas stations want to gouge the tourists. My "tourist" tax also funds VisitDuluth.com - and I recall hearing that they were not getting the best bang for their buck.

Many jobs here don't pay competitive wages when compared to other communities because of how much of a dream it is to live here. My taxes are higher and my cost of living ends up being higher.  

When will I be priced out of living here? How will Mayor Ness get this city to 100k people if we are too poor to live here? How big can this city's debt grow? I only have so much money to give out, but if I move that is a total loss of my tax revenue. 

I drive through downtown and I think it is a shame that people go up the hill to shop. The big issue is parking, but maybe if we could come up with a plan that could improve. That is why I thought that maybe a sticker you put in your window would encourage shoppers to downtown.

If someone has a plan put it out there, but just surrendering to high taxes and burdening debt is not a good plan. You can clean up the Saint Louis River all you want so developers can sell townhomes and "riverfront" expensive new houses, but eventually the little guy in town will be forced out. 

If you wanna tax the tourists then tax the hotels, but not our restaurants. 

What would you do to pay off our debt and get people to eat and shop downtown?

You bring up a good point with workers (time limits?). Which is why I tried to start the discussion here. I don't think that I am right and don't think others are wrong, but I thought it was something to talk about.

For parking downtown the mayor and council could make it easier. Redesign blocks and parking based on the businesses that are there. Free ramps wouldn't be too hard to control. Allowing parking in private lots between certain hours would be nice too, but then some jerk will break a bottle or be stupid and the owner is liable. Perhaps the city could give the owners of private parking in the city a tax break to allow "locals" to use their lots during certain hours. The lots behind Luce' would be nice to park in during the evening and are always empty. Different lots are used on different days or during different hours.

Just a few ideas.

I think the tax on restaurants should be lowered, but hotels would be better served for a true "tourist" tax. The horses, bike rentals, candy shops, and other "tourist" establishments should pay the "tourist" tax.

This might be a dumb question, but are there tax breaks for the hotels or restaurants around town? I know of lots of cities who attract businesses by offering to exempt them from property taxes, does that happen in Duluth?

I just think it is sad that the tax is passed down to the little local (wo)man. We work hard for our money and live in a place where there is already an "aesthetic" tax. It would be nice for the locals who pay high taxes and a city drowning in debt to figure out what needs to be done. Otherwise what is to stop businesses from moving up the hill? 

I love it here, but I think the taxes when I go out to eat are high enough. The outlook is always grim, but dreams for this area are always on the horizon.