Delaware County Council is considering raising the hotel occupancy tax from 3% to 5% to take advantage of potential revenues associated with large events that will take place in the next year. “There’s a lot going on in 2026 in the region. The visitation numbers will be tremendous,” Rob MacPherson, chief marketing officer for Visit Delco, told council. “We see that as an opportunity to collect a solid number of taxation dollars from those folks and put those to work for the county.” The current 3% hotel occupancy tax collects about $3.2 million annually. Pennsylvania law allows for the tax to be as high as 5%, which other surrounding counties have done. Any revenue generated from the tax must solely be spent to promote tourism. In addition to increasing the hotel occupancy tax from 3% to 5%, the amendments being considered by the county council would also include taxing property owners with short-term renters, such as those using Airbnb and Vrbo. Council is expected to vote on the tax changes at the next council meeting on Wednesday, July 16.
Source: Daily Times; 6/25/2025