With the Governor’s signature late last week, HB 292 has become Act 184 and short-term rentals are now included in the definition of a hotel throughout most of Louisiana. This act allows convention and visitors bureaus/tourist commissions who are established as a political subdivision of the state to collect occupancy tax from short-term rentals.

This act removed the two-room minimum threshold for occupancy tax collection and pairs it with the definition of a “hotel” for state sales tax collection, providing more clarity for tax collectors.

As Act 184 goes into effect on July 1, CVBs and tourist commissions should alert their local tax collecting agencies as to what this means for their community. 

The Senate is currently considering HB 4, an effort to preserve the Louisiana Commercial Historical Tax Credit. The LA HTC is currently set to sunset on January 1, 2022, but Rep. Magee's bill will extend the sunset to January 1, 2028. Louisiana has long been a leader throughout the country in utilizing the historic tax credit to revitalize our Main Street Communities.

The LA HTC pays long-term dividends and generates substantial private investment in our state's assets and infrastructure, turning often blighted and vacated buildings into commercial engines of vitality. For the travel and tourism industry, these investments make our communities more visitor-friendly and help us showcase the true character of our towns - especially in rural communities.

Please use the pre-drafted letter linked below to urge your senators to support HB 4 and preserve our Main Street communities. 

This week, LTA members have joined with U.S. Travel to take the industry’s message to Capitol Hill: Providing  relief, protection and stimulus to the travel industry will set America on a path toward recovery. Through a series of virtual meetings with Louisiana’s Congressional Delegation, we are asking that they 1) extend the Paycheck Protection Program to all Destination Marketing Organizations; 2) limit liability for travel-related businesses that maintain COVID-19 safety protocols; and 3) incentivize a safe reopening of the travel economy through tax credits and deductions. 

If you missed our Monday webinar with a panel of travel industry experts from the Resilient Louisiana Task Force, listen to the full recording here .