In the summer of 2017, the Government of Alberta and the cities of Edmonton and Calgary announced draft city charter legislation to support the cities’ ability to provide services and attract investment. The official announcement regarding the draft city charter stated:
“No new taxes are included. The three governments will also work to develop a new system for administering the existing Destination Marketing Fee which will improve transparency and accountability,”
The AHLA supports the transparent & accountable collection and expenditure of DMFs to grow tourism, which benefits all Albertans. However, the AHLA remains opposed to any additional fees, taxes or levies being applied to hotel & lodging businesses by federal, provincial, or municipal governments.
We believe that giving the cities of Edmonton and Calgary the authority to collect DMFs is the first step toward a single industry tax.
In our submission, the AHLA urges the provincial government to:
- Focus on driving tourism revenue, not municipal revenue, if it considers changes to the administration of DMFs.
- Ensure that hotels must have a seat at the table with the province as discussions occur and decisions are made.
Given the potential impact of this issue on every one of the AHLA’s 800 members, your Board of Directors will be working alongside local hotel associations in Edmonton and Calgary to deliver this message to the provincial government.