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Council kills proposed 12.5% lodging tax and $10 nightly fee after hours of public comment
Summary
After hours of public testimony from hoteliers, short‑term rental hosts and restaurants, Lynchburg City Council moved to remove from consideration a staff‑proposed increase in the transient lodging tax to 12.5% plus a $10 nightly fee.
Lynchburg City Council on May 27 heard extensive public comment and debate over a staff proposal to raise the city’s transient lodging tax to a maximum of 12.5 percent on room rate plus a $10 per‑night flat fee. The proposal drew strong opposition from short‑term rental hosts, hotel operators, local restaurateurs and business groups, who warned it would make Lynchburg among the most expensive overnight destinations in Virginia and could drive visitors and conventions to neighboring localities.
Speakers at the public hearing described the diversity of the city’s lodging market, from independent bed‑and‑breakfast owners to downtown hotels and hundreds of Airbnb hosts. Amy Corbett, who manages boutique short‑term rentals in Lynchburg,…
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