TOPEKA (KSNT) – City leaders approved an increase to Topeka’s transient guest tax Tuesday night, which is set to take effect next year.
The Topeka City Council gathered on May 5 to vote on an ordinance for the city’s transient guest tax. The council voted in favor of raising the tax to 8.5%, a 1.5% increase from the current rate of 7%.
Topeka’s transient guest tax was set to fall back to 6% at the end of 2027, according to city agenda documents. The increase set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2027, allows for the city to collect an additional amount of around $600,000 for funding related to tourism expenditures.
City of Topeka to reassess utility rates for 2027
The city’s transient guest tax helps to fund things like Constitution Hall, Jayhawk Theatre, Evergy Plaza and other locations and projects in Topeka, according to city agenda documents. Tourism expenditures for the tax include the operation of convention centers, promoting tourism and financing tourism-related projects.
Topeka’s City Council previously voted in 2025 to increase the transient guest tax for people staying at Hotel Topeka, raising the rate at this property from 7% up to 8%. This increase helps the city to pay off the investment it made into the hotel over the course of the next few decades.
For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.
Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf
