§ 1202-KKK — Hotel or motel taxes in the city of Mount Vernon

* § 1202-kkk. Hotel or motel taxes in the city of Mount Vernon. (1)\nNotwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the city of\nMount Vernon, Westchester county, is hereby authorized and empowered to\nadopt and amend local laws imposing in such city a tax, in addition to\nany other tax authorized and imposed pursuant to this article, such as\nthe legislature has or would have the power and authority to impose upon\npersons occupying hotel or motel rooms in such city. For the purposes of\nthis section, the term "hotel" or "motel" shall mean and include, but\nnot be limited to, hotels, motels, tourist homes, motel courts,\nbed-and-breakfast establishments, short-term rentals, vacation rentals,\nairbnbs, clubs or similar facilities, whether or not meals are served to\nguests or residents thereof, and/or a location that is otherwise made\navailable for transient lodging accommodation for rent directly by the\nowner or through an agent, operator or company. The rates of such tax\nshall not exceed five and eight hundred seventy-five thousandths percent\nof the per diem rental rate for each room, provided however, that such\ntax shall not be applicable to a permanent resident of a hotel or motel.\nFor the purposes of this section, the term "permanent resident" shall\nmean a person occupying any room or rooms in a hotel or motel for at\nleast thirty consecutive days.\n (2) Such tax may be collected and administered by the chief fiscal\nofficer of the city of Mount Vernon by such means and in such manner as\nother taxes, which are now collected and administered by such officer,\nor as otherwise may be provided by such local law.\n (3) Such local laws may provide that any tax imposed shall be paid by\nthe person liable therefor to the owner of the hotel or motel room\noccupied or to the person entitled to be paid the rent or charge for the\nhotel or motel room occupied for and on account of the city of Mount\nVernon imposing the tax and that such owner or person entitled to be\npaid the rent or charge shall be liable for the collection and payment\nof the tax; and that such owner or person entitled to be paid the rent\nor charge shall have the same right in respect to collecting the tax\nfrom the person occupying the hotel or motel room, or in respect to\nnonpayment of the tax by the person occupying the hotel or motel room,\nas if the tax were a part of the rent or charge and payable at the same\ntime as the rent or charge; provided, however, that the chief fiscal\nofficer of the city, specified in such local law, shall be joined as a\nparty in any action or proceeding brought to collect the tax by the\nowner or by the person entitled to be paid the rent or charge.\n (4) Such local laws may provide for the filing of returns and the\npayment of the tax on a monthly basis or on the basis of any longer or\nshorter period of time.\n (5) This section shall not authorize the imposition of such tax upon\nany transaction, by or with any of the following in accordance with\nsection twelve hundred thirty of this article:\n a. The state of New York, or any public corporation (including a\npublic corporation created pursuant to agreement or compact with another\nstate or the Dominion of Canada), improvement district or other\npolitical subdivision of the state;\n b. The United States of America, insofar as it is immune from\ntaxation; and\n c. Any corporation or association, or trust, or community chest, fund\nor foundation organized and operated exclusively for religious,\ncharitable, or educational purposes, or for the prevention of cruelty to\nchildren or animals, and no part of the net earnings of which inures to\nthe benefit of any private shareholders or individual and no substantial\npart of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise\nattempting to influence the legislation; provided, however, that nothing\nin this paragraph shall include an organization operated for the primary\npurpose of carrying on a trade or business for profit, whether or not\nall of its profits are payable to one or more organizations described in\nthis paragraph.\n (6) Any final determination of the amount of any tax payable pursuant\nto this section shall be reviewable for error, illegality or\nunconstitutionality or any other reason whatsoever by a proceeding under\narticle seventy-eight of the civil practice law and rules if application\ntherefor is made to the supreme court within thirty days after the\ngiving of the notice of such final determination, provided, however,\nthat any such proceeding under article seventy-eight of the civil\npractice law and rules shall not be instituted unless:\n a. The amount of any tax sought to be reviewed, with such interest and\npenalties thereon as may be provided for by local law or regulation\nshall be first deposited and there is filed an undertaking, issued by a\nsurety company authorized to transact business in this state and\napproved by the superintendent of financial services of this state as to\nsolvency and responsibility, in such amount as a justice of the supreme\ncourt shall approve to the effect that if such proceeding be dismissed\nor the tax confirmed the petitioner will pay all costs and charges which\nmay accrue in the prosecution of such proceeding; or\n b. At the option of the petitioner such undertaking may be in a sum\nsufficient to cover the taxes, interests and penalties stated in such\ndetermination plus the costs and charges which may accrue against it in\nthe prosecution of the proceeding, in which event the petitioner shall\nnot be required to pay such taxes, interest or penalties as a condition\nprecedent to the application.\n (7) Where any tax imposed pursuant to this section shall have been\nerroneously, illegally or unconstitutionally collected and application\nfor the refund thereof duly made to the proper fiscal officer or\nofficers, and such officer or officers shall have made a determination\ndenying such refund, such determination shall be reviewable by a\nproceeding under article seventy-eight of the civil practice law and\nrules, provided, however, that such proceeding is instituted within\nthirty days after the giving of the notice of such denial, that a final\ndetermination of tax due was not previously made, and that an\nundertaking is filed with the proper fiscal officer or officers in such\namount and with such sureties as a justice of the supreme court shall\napprove to the effect that if such proceeding be dismissed or the tax\nconfirmed, the petitioner will pay all costs and charges which may\naccrue in the prosecution of such proceeding.\n (8) Except in the case of a willfully false or fraudulent return with\nintent to evade the tax, no assessment of additional tax shall be made\nafter the expiration of more than two years from the date of the filing\nof a return, provided, however, that where no return has been filed as\nprovided by law the tax may be assessed at any time.\n (9) All revenues resulting from the imposition of the tax under the\nlocal laws shall be paid into the treasury of the city of Mount Vernon\nand shall be credited to and deposited in the general fund of the city.\nSuch revenues shall be retained to defer the expense of the city in\nadministering the tax pursuant to this section and the balance of such\nrevenues shall be used within the city of Mount Vernon as so determined\nby the city of Mount Vernon city council.\n (10) If any provision of this section or the application thereof to\nany person or circumstance shall be held invalid, the remainder of this\nsection and the application of such provision to other persons or\ncircumstances shall not be affected thereby.\n (11) Each enactment of such local law may provide for the imposition\nof a hotel or motel tax for a period of time no longer than two years\nfrom the effective date of its enactment. Nothing in this section shall\nprohibit the adoption and enactment of local laws, pursuant to the\nprovisions of this section, upon the expiration of any other local law\nadopted pursuant to this section.\n * NB There are 2 § 1202-kkk's\n * NB Repealed December 31, 2027\n