by Jim Morrow
An open letter was sent to all news media on Cape Breton Island from Destination Cape Breton Association Chair, Gordon Heading „to provide the facts and set the record straight,‰ on the Cape Breton Marketing Levy (see Letters to Editor, page four).
Destination Cape Breton‚s General Manager, Sandra MacDonald, attended Victoria County Council on February 27th at Council‚s request.
One of the issues raised by council was the concern of smaller fixed roof accommodations operators with the one room one vote process. This voting method has led many smaller operators to feel their vote is insignificant compared to the larger number of votes given to larger operators. And one small bed and breakfast operator said the burden of collection will fall disproportionately on the small operator.
Ms. MacDonald explained that in the 2003 study done by Icon Communications, the room levy would be on each room so it followed the vote should be on a per room basis as well.
Smaller operators also felt that the burden of collection fell on them.
The Muncipalities are involved as they must enact the by-law which will allow for the collection of the levy.
Victoria County will have a public hearing before it implemnents any levy and Council is not weilling to decide how or if it will procveed with a bylaw until it hears from the public.
Very few operators disagree with the prupose of the room levy which is to provide revenues for generic marketing for all of Capoe Breton Island, revenues which have not been available for the last five years and are sorely neded to keep the profile of Cape Breton high in the minds of prospective travellers.
Mr. Heading told a Baddeck Area Business and Tourism Association meeting on March 8th, that he is going to propose a fixed rate or flat fee for small operartors which they would pay once a year. This would resolve the issue of having a third party go into their books to see if they were making the proper remittances for the levy.
He will make this suggestion at a Destination Caope Breton executive meeting on March 13 and hopees the membership will approve of it as well.
However, Mr. Heading said he is against any delaying of the proclamation of the room levy which has been set for April 1st, 2006.