Cuomo Signs Bill, Dobbs Ferry Gets OK to Collect 'Bed Tax'

DOBBS FERRY, NY — Good news for municipal coffers in Dobbs Ferry and the Town of Greenburgh.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed eight pieces of legislation that will allow some towns and villages in Westchester and Orange counties to collect an extra tax on hotel rooms.

The deal comes with lawmakers’ assurances to seek a plan to address local hotel taxes statewide, the Journal News said.

The so-called “bed tax” — of up to 3 percent — would be in addition to sales tax and the 3 percent county occupancy tax.

Towns covered by the bills are Greenburgh, Mount Pleasant, North Castle in Westchester and Woodbury in Orange, according to information on the state Assembly website.

Villages that can now collect the occupancy tax are Sleepy Hollow, Tuckahoe, Harrison, Mamaroneck, Port Chester and Mount Kisco.

Similar measures were passed by Albany in 2015, but vetoed by the governor.

Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner said having the ability to collect the hotel occupancy tax at the municipal level could mean $1 million a year in revenue for “the unincorporated section of Greenburgh and significant dollars for villages within Greenburgh that have hotels within their borders.”

The hotel tax is already in place for Yonkers, White Plains, New Rochelle, Rye and Rye Brook.

Photo credit: Flickr/CreativeCommons/Ron Cogswell- The New York State Capitol in Albany.