By: Mike Kennedy mkennedy@railey.com 301-616-6106 February 1st, 2012 Category: Garrett County News, News, Vacation Rentals

Legislation has been introduced again this year that would give the Garrett County Commissioners the authority to raise the Accommodations Tax to 6% starting in October of 2012. The current rate is 5%. This is the tax paid by overnight guests who stay in hotels and Deep Creek Lake vacation rental houses. If this is passed, the Garrett County rate would still be one of the lowest in all of Maryland.

By: Mike Kennedy mkennedy@railey.com 301-616-6106 January 22nd, 2010 Category: Garrett County News, News

Good news for owners of vacation rental homes at Deep Creek Lake. The Garrett County Commissioners decided this week that it is not in the best interest of the county at this time to pursue legislation that would have allowed them to increase the local hotel/motel tax which is currently 5%.

When it was reported last fall that such legislation would be pursued by the county government many of the local rental agencies - including Railey Mountain Lake Vacations - vehemently opposed on behalf of their homeowners. The reasoning was that in this soft economy many homeowners are having to discount their nightly rental rates just to attract the same amount of renters. The renters pay the accommodation tax when staying overnight in a vacation rental home or motel/hotel - and any increase in this tax could potentially keep tourists from visiting Deep Creek Lake and staying overnight. Or the increase in the tax could have led to further rental discounting - which could have further eroded a homeowners net rental income and potentially the value of their Deep Creek Lake real estate.