Who is behind the Hotel Tax Ballot Initiative and what does it really mean?

Last week, the local news ran several stories regarding the August Primary Election Ballot Initiative that will ask voters to support a hotel tax. 

After a majority of the Kent County Commissioners voted to put the proposed hotel tax on the ballot for the August Primary, the local news media finally provided us with some of the players involved in the effort.

Here is what MLive reported the hotel tax has been and what it will mean if it passes in August. “Currently, the total tax on a hotel room in Kent County is 15%. That includes 6% sales tax, the 5% county hotel tax, and a 4% marketing assessment provided to Experience Grand Rapids. If voters were to approve a 3 percentage-point increase to the county’s 5% hotel tax, the total tax on a hotel room in Kent County would amount to 18%.” Just to be clear, the hotel tax is applied to any and all hotel rooms throughout Kent County. 

MLive then goes on to provide us with a list of people who were in favor of the hotel tax ballot initiative, which “included Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, as well as representatives from the Grand Rapids Chamber, The Right Place, the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention Arena Authority, and Grand Action 2.0.”

In a second MLive story, we also see who is going to be behind the campaign to get the hotel tax ballot initiative passed in August. Not surprising, the campaign will be run by SeyferthPR, which is the public relations firms that represents centers of power in West Michigan, like the groups that spoke to Kent County Commissioners about why they should put the issue on the August Ballot.

The MLive article also noted that John Helmholdt, the president of SeyferthPR, willing be overseeing the campaign, which is called Destination Kent. The campaign is supposed to officially launch on May 20th, so GRIID will certainly do a follow up post about the campaign and what narrative they will be using to get the hotel tax increase passed. 

Helmholdt did provide some brief comments about how the campaign will be implemented: “So, we’ll spend time continuing to reach out to elected officials, appointed officials, hoteliers, individuals that have a stake in the passage of this important lodging proposal that is paid for by visitors.” 

Those involved in the campaign are already saying that the increased hotel tax proposal will be used to cover some of the cost of the Grand Action 2.0-backed soccer stadium, along with the newly proposed aquarium that will be attached to John Ball Zoo. So let me get this straight, Grand Action 2.0, the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, The Right Place and the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention Arena Authority want hotel tax money to be used to support other development projects, which will primarily benefit their economic interests. 

I’m not opposed to a hotel tax in principle, I just don’t support the hotel tax increase if it is going to be used to pay for projects that are designed to attract tourists and to benefit the very same people/organizations who already have deep pockets. The whole thing is sort of a closed system, a loop or a self-serving scam designed to make the rich richer while tens of thousands of families in Kent County are struggling to pay rent and to feed their children. 

Don’t be fooled by yet another scam to get the public to pay for more of the development projects that are owned and operated by members of the Capitalist Class in Kent County. Let them pay for these projects. They have more than enough money to cover the cost of soccer stadiums, amphitheaters and aquariums. Don’t be fooled by the narrative that they want to provide entertainment opportunities for the public. They want to get the public to pay for their downtown profit-making playground.