ALEXANDRIA, VA - Kamora letšolo le matla le entsoeng ke American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) khahlano le molao o neng o tla lefisa lekhetho la thekiso ea 6% ho litefiso tsa mekhatlo ea maeto bakeng sa ho behela likamore tsa hotele tsa Maryland, 'Musisi oa Maryland Larry Hogan o hanne bili eo. Litho tsa ASTA li phethile karolo ea bohlokoa ho hlola Senate Bill (SB) 190, ho kenyelletsa ho fana ka bopaki lits'ebetsong le ho fana ka nyeoe ea bona ka mehala, lipuisano tsa sefahleho le li-imeile, ho kenyeletsoa le melaetsa e ka bang 350 ea bobuelli e rometsoeng ho baetsi ba melaoana ka sebaka sa marang-rang sa ASTA. .
"Re thoholetsa 'Musisi Hogan ka ho hana bili ena, e ka beng e entse hore lihotele tsa Maryland li se be le tlholisano, mekhatlo ea Maryland e se ke ea etsa chelete e ngata,' me ea hlohlelletsa mahlahana a ka bang 105,000 kantle ho naha ho rekisa lihotele tsa Maryland," ho boletse Mopresidente le CEO oa ASTA, Zane Kerby. "Tlhōlo ena e ile ea khoneha ka tšebelisano e matla pakeng tsa ASTA le ba amehang ba bang ba kabo ea maeto, empa haholo-holo ka boiteko ba litho tsa sebaka sa rona tse kang Jay Ellenby, Karen Dunlap le Larry Swerdlin. Ka lebaka la litho tsena tse mafolo-folo—le baemeli bohle ba Maryland ba kentseng letsoho letšolong la rona la mantlha—mekhatlo ea bohahlauli naheng ka bophara e qobile lekhetho le lecha la liranta tse fetang limilione tse 5 ka selemo mabapi le pokello ea lihotele tsa Maryland.”
Senate Bill 190 e ka be e sebelisitse lekhetho la thekiso la 6% la mmuso ho litefiso tsa lits'ebeletso le baemeli ba bang ba li-markups ba lefisa bareki bakeng sa ho behela kamore efe kapa efe ea hotele Maryland. ASTA e hakanya hore haeba e ka kenngoa ts'ebetsong joalokaha e ngotsoe, tlhahiso e ka be e bitsa $ 81,000 ka lekhetho le lecha la selemo bakeng sa mekhatlo ea maeto ea Maryland, ka kakaretso, kapa ho feta $ 5 milione selemo le selemo bakeng sa mekhatlo ea naha ka bophara.
Bili e fetisitse Senate ka la 24 Hlakubele ka likhetho tsa 32 ho 15. Ka la 8 Mmesa, kamora ho hana liphetoho tse 'maloa ho fokotsa phihlello ea lekhetho kapa ho ntlafatsa bili, ho kenyelletsa tse peli tse fanoeng ke Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore/ Harford County), Ntlo e fetisitse bili ka likhetho tsa 84 ho ea ho tse 56. Ka May 22, 'Musisi Hogan o ile a hana bili, a qotsa linyeoe tse ntseng li emetse tse amanang le hore na mekhatlo e tlameha ho lefa lekhetho la thekiso mabapi le libuka tsa hotele tsa Maryland. Seboka se Akaretsang se ka leka ho hlakola veto ea 'Musisi ha e kopana ka Pherekhong 2016.
Litho tsa ASTA li ile tsa phetha karolo ea bohlokoa ntoeng ea ho hlōla tlhahiso ena e sa nkoang hampe, ho akarelletsa le Jay Ellenby oa Safe Harbors Travel in Bel Air le Treasurer ea hona joale ea ASTA, ea ileng a fana ka bopaki habeli (ka February 11 le March 11) ka pel'a likomiti tsa molao tse bontšang khanyetso khahlanong le bili, ha Larry Swerdlin oa Burton Travel a Owings Mills a fana ka bopaki ka March 11. Ka April 1, Karen Dunlap oa Travel-On, Ltd. o ile a ikopanya le Ellenby le ASTA SVP ea 'Muso le Litaba tsa indasteri Eben Peck sebokeng sa boralitaba ka pel'a naha. ntlo e khothalletsang baetsi ba molao ho hanyetsa SB 190. Hape, Peck le Kerby ba ile ba kopana le Mookameli oa Molao oa 'Musisi Joseph Getty mathoasong a April.
ASTA e ntse e sebetsa khahlanong le litlhahiso tse tšoanang tsa katoloso ea lekhetho la hotele ho pholletsa le setereke ka tšebelisano e haufi-ufi le balekane ba indasteri ea maeto joalo ka Travel Technology Association, ho kenyeletsoa morao tjena Virginia, moo pejana selemong sena lekhotla la ketsamolao le ileng la vouta ho theola bili e neng e tla beha litefiso tse lefelloang ke "Baemeli ba libaka tsa bolulo" bakeng sa ho tsamaisa libuka tsa lihotele tsa Virginia ho lekhetho la thekiso la Commonwealth le lekhetho la bolulo ba lehae. Ka ho etsa joalo, Mokhatlo o matlafalitse mekhatlo ea maeto ho etsa hore mantsoe a bona a utluoe ke babuelli ba molao ba mmuso ka lintlafatso tsa molao, lintlha tsa ho bua le lisebelisoa tse ling tsa mantlha.
"Mosebetsi o boima oa litho tsa Maryland ASTA o netefatsa hore mekhatlo ea maeto ea Maryland e ke ke ea fuoa $81,000 ka kakaretso makhethong a macha selemo se seng le se seng," ho boletse Kerby. "Re leboha ka bobeli bakeng sa boiteko ba bona le bakeng sa 'Musisi le baetsi ba molao ba tšehetsang, ba kang Delegate Szeliga, ea ileng a lumela hore tsamaiso e ikemetseng ea ho tsamaisa maeto ha ea lokela ho lebisoa ka lekhetho le lecha le theipi e khubelu."
SEO U LOKELANG HO SE NKA HO SEHLOOHO ENA:
- 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.
