Section 1202-T*2. Hotel or motel taxes in Ontario county  


Latest version.
  • (1)
      Notwithstanding any other provisions of law to the contrary, the  county
      of  Ontario  is hereby authorized and empowered to adopt and amend local
      laws imposing in such county  a  tax,  in  addition  to  any  other  tax
      authorized and imposed pursuant to this article, such as the legislature
      has  or  would  have  the  power  and  authority  to impose upon persons
      occupying hotel or motel rooms in such county. For the purposes of  this
      section, the term "hotel" or "motel" shall mean and include any facility
      providing  lodging  on  an  overnight  basis,  and  shall  include those
      facilities designated and commonly known  as  "bed  and  breakfast"  and
      "tourist"  facilities.  Such  tax  shall not be applicable to a facility
      having three rentable units or less.
        The rates of such tax shall not exceed three percent of the  per  diem
      rental  rate for each room, provided however, that such tax shall not be
      applicable to a permanent resident of a hotel or motel. For the purposes
      of this section the  term  "permanent  resident"  shall  mean  a  person
      occupying  any  room  or  rooms  in a hotel or motel for at least thirty
      consecutive days.
        (2) Such tax may be collected and administered by the county treasurer
      or other fiscal officers of Ontario county by such  means  and  in  such
      manner  as  other taxes which are now collected and administered by such
      officers or as otherwise may be provided by such local law.
        (3) Such local laws may provide that any tax imposed shall be paid  by
      the  person  liable  therefor  to  the  owner of the hotel or motel room
      occupied or to the person entitled to be paid the rent or charge for the
      hotel or motel room occupied for and on account of the county of Ontario
      imposing the tax and that such owner or person entitled to be  paid  the
      rent  or  charge  shall  be liable for the collection and payment of the
      tax; and that such owner or person entitled  to  be  paid  the  rent  or
      charge  shall  have the same right in respect to collecting the tax from
      the person  occupying  the  hotel  or  motel  room,  or  in  respect  to
      nonpayment  of  the tax by the person occupying the hotel or motel room,
      as if the tax were a part of the rent or charge and payable at the  same
      time as the rent or charge; provided, however, that the county treasurer
      or  other  fiscal  officers  of the county, specified in such local law,
      shall be joined as a party  in  any  action  or  proceeding  brought  to
      collect  the  tax  by the owner or by the person entitled to be paid the
      rent or charge.
        (4) Such local laws may provide for the  filing  of  returns  and  the
      payment of the tax on a quarterly basis or on the basis of any longer or
      shorter period of time.
        (5)  This  section shall not authorize the imposition of such tax upon
      any transaction, by or with any of  the  following  in  accordance  with
      section twelve hundred thirty of this article.
        a.  The  state  of  New  York,  or any public corporation (including a
      public corporation created pursuant to agreement or compact with another
      state  or  the  Dominion  of  Canada),  improvement  district  or  other
      political subdivision of the state;
        b.  The  United  States  of  America,  insofar  as  it  is immune from
      taxation;
        c. Any corporation or association, or trust, or community chest,  fund
      or   foundation   organized  and  operated  exclusively  for  religious,
      charitable or educational purposes, or for the prevention of cruelty  to
      children  or animals, and no part of the net earnings of which inures to
      the benefit of any private shareholder or individual and no  substantial
      part  of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise
      attempting to influence legislation; provided, however, that nothing  in
      this  paragraph  shall  include an organization operated for the primary
    
      purpose of carrying on a trade or business for profit,  whether  or  not
      all of its profits are payable to one or more organizations described in
      this paragraph.
        (6) Any final determination of the amount of any tax payable hereunder
      shall  be reviewable for error, illegality or unconstitutionality or any
      other reason whatsoever by a proceeding under article  seventy-eight  of
      the  civil practice law and rules if application therefor is made to the
      supreme court within thirty days after the giving of the notice of  such
      final  determination,  provided, however, that any such proceeding under
      article seventy-eight of the civil practice law and rules shall  not  be
      instituted unless:
        a. The amount of any tax sought to be reviewed, with such interest and
      penalties  thereon  as  may  be  provided for by local law or regulation
      shall be first deposited and there is filed an undertaking, issued by  a
      surety  company  authorized  to  transact  business  in  this  state and
      approved by the superintendent of insurance of this state as to solvency
      and responsibility, in such amount as a justice  of  the  supreme  court
      shall  approve to the effect that if such proceeding be dismissed or the
      tax confirmed the petitioner will pay all costs and  charges  which  may
      accrue in the prosecution of such proceeding; or
        b.  At  the  option of the petitioner such undertaking may be in a sum
      sufficient to cover the taxes, interests and penalties  stated  in  such
      determination  plus the costs and charges which may accrue against it in
      the prosecution of the proceeding, in which event the  petitioner  shall
      not  be required to pay such taxes, interest or penalties as a condition
      precedent to the application.
        (7) Where any tax  imposed  hereunder  shall  have  been  erroneously,
      illegally or unconstitutionally collected and application for the refund
      thereof  duly  made  to  the proper fiscal officer or officers, and such
      officer or officers shall have made a determination denying such refund,
      such determination shall be reviewable by  a  proceeding  under  article
      seventy-eight  of  the  civil practice law and rules, provided, however,
      that such proceeding is instituted within thirty days after  the  giving
      of  the notice of such denial, that a final determination of tax due was
      not previously made, and that an undertaking is filed  with  the  proper
      fiscal  officer  or  officers in such amount and with such sureties as a
      justice of the supreme court shall approve to the effect  that  if  such
      proceeding  be  dismissed  or the tax confirmed, the petitioner will pay
      all costs and charges which  may  accrue  in  the  prosecution  of  such
      proceeding.
        (8)  Except in the case of a willfully false or fraudulent return with
      intent to evade the tax, no assessment of additional tax shall  be  made
      after  the  expiration  of  more  than  three years from the date of the
      filing of a return, provided, however, that where  no  return  has  been
      filed as provided by law the tax may be assessed at any time.
        (9)  All  revenues  resulting from the imposition of the tax under the
      local laws shall be paid into the treasury of Ontario county  and  shall
      be  credited  to  and  deposited  in the general fund of such county and
      shall be available thereafter for the promotion of tourism  and  tourist
      attractions  in  Ontario  county  and that not more than five percent of
      such revenue shall be used for the cost of administering such tax.  Such
      promotion   may  be  carried  out  by  an  appropriate  organization  or
      organizations as designated by the Ontario county board of supervisors.
        (10) Each enactment of a local law may provide for the imposition of a
      hotel or motel tax for a period of time no longer than three years  from
      the  date  of  its enactment. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the
      adoption and enactment of local laws, pursuant to the provisions of this
    
      section, upon the expiration of any other local law adopted pursuant  to
      this section.
        (11)  If  any  provision of this section or the application thereof to
      any person or circumstance shall be held invalid, the remainder of  this
      section  and  the  application  of  such  provision  to other persons or
      circumstances shall not be affected thereby.
        * NB There are 2 § 1202-t's