Q: Should the city’s hotel room tax be raised from 12.5 to 16.5 percent to finance the Chargers’ proposed downtown stadium-convention center annex?

Bob’s Answer: No.

Currently, this relatively low tax is the only thing tourism marketers can throw to meeting planners where the number is not high. Our convention center rental costs and direct airfares are among the highest in the nation and our convention hotels are expensive due to the cost of land.

Further, much of the proposed increase is going toward a stadium while some is going toward a noncontiguous convention center. This issue requires non-litigious leadership.

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