Mid-Hudson News reports that the Ulster County Legislature voted on Dec. 21 to double their room tax from two percent to four percent. A percentage of the tax is based on whether a business offers more than just room and board, such as all-inclusives. The vote was 13 to 8, the tax will double on January 1, 2024. The entire Hudson Valley and all of New York are in an affordable housing crisis, and hotels, motels, and home rentals are part of the larger discussion on that issue. Legislator Herb Litts complained that a deal to pass the tax was made behind closed doors. Litts said, “The county executive put in her budget to the occupancy tax before the legislature voted to increase the property tax. That’s a practice that is backwards, putting the cart ahead of the horse.... I don’t know why we would ever put something in the budget that we have not passed an increase.” Now, though, the new tax is both in the budget and passed by the legislature. Read more about this story at Mid-Hudson News.