Boy, the "this tax won't hurt a bit" crowd is not exactly unpredictable, is it? The state legislature is debating a proposal to save the Capital Improvement Board of Indianapolis that would, among other things, raise the room tax on Circle City hotels by 1 percent.
Despite protests from some in the hotel business, a 1 percentage point increase in the Indianapolis hotel tax would be unlikely to ruin the city's reputation as a low-cost host for conventions and other events.
So say one of the largest hotel owners in the city and an event planner who point out that even with the proposed increase, the city's hotel rates and related costs still would undercut most cities that Indianapolis competes against.
So shut up and take your medicine! Never mind that the low cost helps fill the rooms with those stinking out-of-towners you want to get as much from as you can before you send them packing. And if the city doesn't do something, it might soon end up having the cheapest hotel rooms of any big city in the Midwest, and God only knows what a catastsrophe that would be.
