ALEXANDRIA, VA - Sawise kampanye kuat sing ditindakake dening American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) nglawan undang-undang sing bakal ngetrapake pajak penjualan 6% kanggo biaya agensi perjalanan kanggo pesenan kamar hotel Maryland, Gubernur Maryland Larry Hogan wis veto tagihan kasebut. Anggota ASTA nduwe peran penting kanggo ngalahake RUU Senat (SB) 190, kalebu menehi kesaksian ing pangrungon lan nggawe kasus liwat telpon, obrolan langsung lan email, kalebu meh 350 pesen advokasi sing dikirim menyang pembuat kebijakan negara liwat situs akar rumput online ASTA. .
"We applaud Gubernur Hogan kanggo nolak Bill iki, kang bakal digawe Maryland hotels kurang competitive, Maryland agensi kurang duwe bathi, lan dis-incentivized meh 105,000 agen njaba negara kanggo ngedol hotel Maryland,"Sa ASTA Presiden lan CEO Zane Kerby. "Kemenangan iki bisa ditindakake kanthi kemitraan sing kuat antarane ASTA lan para pemangku kepentingan distribusi perjalanan liyane, nanging utamane liwat upaya anggota lokal kayata Jay Ellenby, Karen Dunlap lan Larry Swerdlin. Thanks kanggo anggota sing aktif-lan kabeh agen Maryland sing melu kampanye akar umbi kita-agen lelungan ing saindenging negara wis nyingkiri luwih saka $ 5 yuta saben taun ing pajak anyar kanggo pesenan hotel Maryland.
Senat Bill 190 bakal wis Applied tax sales 6% negara kanggo Fees layanan lan agen markups liyane ngisi klien kanggo pesenan sembarang kamar hotel ing Maryland. ASTA ngira yen dileksanakake kaya sing ditulis, proposal kasebut bakal biaya $81,000 ing pajak anyar taunan kanggo agensi travel Maryland, bebarengan, utawa luwih saka $5 yuta saben taun kanggo agensi ing saindenging negoro.
RUU kasebut ngliwati Senat tanggal 24 Maret kanthi voting 32 nganti 15. Ing tanggal 8 April, sawise nolak sawetara amandemen kanggo mbatesi tekan pajak utawa nambah tagihan kasebut, kalebu loro sing ditawakake Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore/ Harford County), House liwati tagihan kanthi voting 84 kanggo 56. Ing 22 Mei, Gubernur Hogan vetoed Bill, nyebutke litigasi nunggu related kanggo apa utawa ora agensi dibutuhake kanggo ngirim pajak dodolan ing sambungan karo pesenan hotel Maryland. Majelis Umum bisa nyoba kanggo nglawan veto Gubernur nalika rapat ing Januari 2016.
Anggota ASTA nduweni peran kritis ing perang kanggo ngalahake proposal sing dianggep ora becik iki, kalebu Jay Ellenby saka Safe Harbors Travel in Bel Air lan Bendahara ASTA saiki, sing menehi kesaksian kaping pindho (ing 11 Februari lan 11 Maret) sadurunge panitia legislatif nyatakake oposisi marang tagihan, nalika Larry Swerdlin saka Burton Travel ing Owings Mills menehi kesaksian ing 11. Maret 1. April Karen Dunlap saka Travel-On, Ltd gabung karo Ellenby lan ASTA SVP Pemerintah lan Urusan Industri Eben Peck ing konferensi pers ing ngarep negara. house urging legislator kanggo nglawan SB 190. Uga, Peck lan Kerby ketemu karo Gubernur Kepala Legislatif Officer Joseph Getty ing awal April.
ASTA wis nggarap usulan ekspansi pajak hotel sing padha ing saindenging kabupaten kanthi koordinasi sing cedhak karo sekutu industri perjalanan kayata Asosiasi Teknologi Perjalanan, kalebu paling anyar ing Virginia, ing awal taun iki legislatif milih tagihan sing bakal tundhuk biaya sing dikenani biaya. "intermediaries akomodasi" kanggo nggampangake pesenan hotel Virginia kanggo pajak dodolan Persemakmuran lan pajak pendhudhuk lokal. Kanthi mengkono, Masyarakat wis menehi kekuwatan marang agensi perjalanan supaya swarane dirungokake dening legislatif negara liwat pembaruan legislatif, titik-titik ngomong lan sumber daya akar umbi liyane.
"Karya keras anggota Maryland ASTA mesthekake yen agensi lelungan Maryland ora bakal ditampa kanthi tambahan $81,000 bebarengan karo pajak anyar saben taun," ujare Kerby. "Kita ngucapke matur nuwun kanggo upaya lan gubernur lan legislatif sing ndhukung, kayata Delegasi Szeliga, sing sarujuk yen sistem distribusi perjalanan mandiri ora kudu ditargetake karo pajak anyar lan pita merah."
APA sing kudu dijupuk saka ARTIKEL INI:
- ASTA has been working against similar hotel tax expansion proposals across the county in close coordination with travel industry allies such as the Travel Technology Association, including most recently in Virginia, where earlier this year the legislature voted down a bill that would subject the fees charged by “accommodations intermediaries” for facilitating Virginia hotel bookings to both the Commonwealth's sales tax and local occupancy taxes.
- ASTA members played a critical role in the fight to defeat this ill-considered proposal, including Jay Ellenby of Safe Harbors Travel in Bel Air and current ASTA Treasurer, who testified twice (on February 11 and March 11) before legislative committees expressing opposition to the bill, while Larry Swerdlin of Burton Travel in Owings Mills testified on March 11.
- ALEXANDRIA, VA – After a vigorous campaign waged by the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) against legislation that would impose a 6% sales tax on travel agency fees for booking Maryland hotel rooms, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has vetoed the bill.
