By Matt Davis, The Lens staff writer

Inspector General Ed Quatrevaux is about to release a hotel-motel tax audit covering 26 hotels for 2009.

“We found an unacceptably large number who are not paying taxes at all, another group who are under-paying, and it suggests, if this is hotel taxes, surely sales taxes have the same problem, probably to a greater degree,” Quatrevaux said.

Quatrevaux made his remarks during a budget presentation on his office to the City Council. On this issue, he was prompted by Councilwoman Stacy Head, who wanted him to take on a sales-tax audit on businesses selling liquor across the city.

Quatrevaux had a sales tax audit planned for 2011, but he has since suggested that Chief Administrative Officer Andy Kopplin hire tax collectors next year to recoup the sales tax from delinquent businesses, he said.