After looking through a couple press releases from the Governor & the Comptroller, we can see that Katrina evacuees can be exempt from paying hotel/motel taxes. After reading the dueling press releases, I'm not quite sure who is exempting Texans from the tax, they are both claiming credit. Strayhorn says she's waiving the tax & Perry says he's got an Executive Order suspending it. Who's right here?
Enter today's Startlegram:
The release said that people displaced from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama "need only show proof of residency from their home states when checking into hotels and motels in Texas and notify the hotel or motel they intend to stay for at least 30 days for the 6 percent state hotel/motel tax to be exempted."
You see, state law exempts everyone from the hotel/motel tax so long as they stay for at least 30 consecutive days and there is no interruption of payment for the period. That's a state law passed by the Legislature in 1981 and amended in 1991."
Perry's release says he issued an executive order, but I can't find it online. Can anyone else? At the very least Perry can thank Strayhorn's campaign people for another good idea.
The Governor is suspending the tax. The Comptroller can't (though she is taking credit for it). It's being suspended because the Governor declared a state of emergency, and under state statute, can now pretty much do whatever he thinks needs doing in relation to the evacuee situation, including temporarily revoke the tax. The Comptroller doesn't have the power (in my knowledge) to repeal the tax or offer any kind of exception without a special rule.
Also, though the press release mentioned an executive order, my understanding was that it was a proclamation, which may be found here:
http://www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/press/proclamations/proclamation.2005-09-02
It was really fun to watch both of them get into a press release slap-fight for the credit though, I gotta admit.