CT SB01022

Increases the hotel occupancy tax rate from 12 percent to 15 percent, effective October 1, 2011, for transfers of room occupancy in hotels or lodging houses for stays not exceeding thirty consecutive calendar days.

Requires the Commissioner of Revenue Services to segregate three percent of taxes collected from hotel sales, with one-third returned to the municipality where the hotel is located and two-thirds deposited into a new municipal hotel tax account.

Establishes the municipal hotel tax account as a separate, nonlapsing account within the General Fund to hold and distribute hotel tax revenues for tourism marketing and regional economic development.

Distributes half of municipal hotel tax account funds to municipalities on a pro-rata basis according to population, and half to regional councils of governments, councils of elected officials, or regional planning agencies to support tourism marketing and regionalism initiatives.

First distribution of funds occurs April 1, 2012, with annual distributions thereafter based on the most recent available federal census data.