Tax Results for the City of Santa Barbara

Transient Occupancy Tax Results for the City of Santa Barbara – Month Ended January 31, 2022

The City of Santa Barbara collected $1.43 million in transient occupancy taxes (TOT) for January 2022. TOT revenues in January 2022 were about $1 million above January collections last year—which was significantly impacted by COVID-19 restrictions and travel advisories.  Compared to January 2020, revenues were higher by 9%; however, this is largely due to increased average daily rates, which are 37% higher than January 2020.

The local travel industry has seen a steady improvement in demand for rooms throughout the fall and winter as the State has lifted travel advisories and as access to vaccinations has become more widely available. However, as of January, the industry has seen slowing growth that could be attributed to the uncertainty caused by the Omicron variant of the virus and the potential negative impact of inflation on consumer sentiment.  The City has collected $18.1 million through January, the seventh month in the City’s fiscal year. The City’s adopted TOT budget for all funds is $23.4 million, of which $19.5 million is budgeted in the General Fund. 

The Transient Occupancy Tax table can be viewed here. The City’s TOT tax rate is 12%.  10% goes to the City’s General Fund and the remaining 2% goes to the Creeks/Clean Water Fund.