Should Niagara Falls hotels be allowed to defer their tax payments Council to decide

By Tami Jeanneret

Published: October 26, 2020 at 12:06 PM

Panoramic view of Niagara Falls Skyline showing the hotels and casinos lit up at night with hearts and signs of hope during the COVID-19 pandemic.iStock/Stuart Hendrie

Niagara Falls city council will be asked to make a tough decision.

Niagara Falls city council will be asked to make a tough decision this week.

The Niagara Falls Hotel Association is asking councillors to consider allowing some type of“concession” on property tax obligations for one year, and much more time to be able to meet those obligations.

The Association's executive director Doug Birrell, has penned a letter outlining why hotels should be given a deferral on their property taxes.

Birrell says we are in a very precarious position, dealing with high carrying cost and overheads, very high mortgage obligations, skyrocketing insurance costs and the cold reality that the worldwide recovery, will be much more protracted than originally anticipated.

He also notes hotels incur a very high property tax burden with the four-star hotels paying more per single room available, than the average home.

Birrell concludes "We understand that this is an extraordinary request, but the situation calls for extraordinary assistance."