Tourism or Hotel Tax

[Old Rv'er]

Hello all,

I am sick and tired of local governments trying to balance their budgets on my back, by charging local tourism tax or hotel tax. Statistics have proven we make a smaller footprint on the environment than any other type of lodging. I have written to every local government who imposes these taxes and told them that their locality is on my DO NOT CAMP LIST. In one case in California, RV'er rose up, wrote letters and the tax was not passed.

Here is another place we need to bombard with anti tax message: http://www.rvbusiness.com/2011/09/fla-county-extends-tourism-tax-on-rv-parks/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campai gn=Feed%3A+RvBusiness+%28RV+Business%29

I have already added that locality to my do not stay list; I suggest you write the commission and let them know how you feel. I have written to the tax commissioner and the Council. The local governments already get me in sales taxes, fuel taxes, and gosh know what else when I stay there, and it's not fair they want to gouge me again, so my policy is not to stay anyplace where I have a tax to pay if I can avoid it. We as retired people (for the most part) have already paid our fair share; it's time for our taxes to go down, (the bit O wants to tax the rich) but what we really need is fair tax policy. Regardless, I encourage you to write this local government and tell them it's wrong.

Speaking for the RV parks, they already pay property tax, income tax, business taxes, and gosh knows what else. Now another tax or an extension of a tax which requires accounting, and remitences to the local government. IT's time this practice stopped.

[Nick-B]

AMEN to that, Brother!

[w6pea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick-B AMEN to that, Brother!

X2

[johnnyringo]

So...does this mean you don't feel the need to spread the wealth?

[Superslif]

Last year I had a campground charge me a "bed tax". I got to thinking. I'm bringing the bed my own bed. I brought it all the way from Ohio, paid the fuel tax to get there, the toll-road fee to get there and now a bed tax.

Come to think of it. I should keep my mouth shut. I have two queen beds in my hybrid....They might think "O" we should charge a bed tax per bed next time....

[Wayne MD]

Where are stats showing we leave the smallest footprints in environment? If that is true, we should get our money refunded from every taxed county who charges us. Big O would like the rich to pay it instead. We got to show him this stat for environment and he will make the change. We wanted change, so lets have it.

[Grimesy]

Along with bed tax how about the fee, tax if you will, for your pet. When I have asked why they charge for a dog the answer is to pay for the clean up. So when I say does that mean I don't have to pick up I usually get a dumb look as if to say duh! Of coarse I pick up as we all should.

Don

[Superslif]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grimesy Along with bed tax how about the fee, tax if you will, for your pet. When I have asked why they charge for a dog the answer is to pay for the clean up. So when I say does that mean I don't have to pick up I usually get a dumb look as if to say duh! Of coarse I pick up as we all should. Don

Good point.....State parks charge a pet fee here in Ohio and PA. Not once have I (state employee) ever seen anyone going around and picking up poop...

[Martind4]

Not to get too far off the original thread, we had to pay for our cat at Port Canaveral campground and he never went outside.

[wa8yxm]

Well it is a calculus computation but here is how it works:

The higher the "Tourist tax" the more likely I am to Tour.... Elsewhere.

So, how much tax before you tick me off and I spend my hard to come by money in a different county or state? (not much in my case)

The problem is lawmakers see tourists as a source of non-voting income.. That is since the tourist does not vote for him (or the other guy) I can safely tax the bejeebers out of them and not worry about loss of office, what's more I'll come off like a good guy because I'm not taxing the citizens.

Of course they forget the restaurant owner, who goes broke because tourists eat in restaurants, not their own kitchen. The hotel owner (Cause they need a place to sleep) the .. .Well you get the idea. And all the tas that that money floating around drips into the treasury as well.

[Gary RVRoamer]

The bizarre thing is that in nearly all cases the bed or tourist tax is used to fund "tourism development", which basically means advertising for the city or region. So they charge us for the privilege of seeing/hearing their ads. And only a bureaucrat could think that increasing the cost of my stay would somehow encourage me to visit a place. Of course, I usually don't learn about the extra tax until I get there...

[mustang652]

With the casinos and tourism being the greater part of our economy here in Las Vegas I really never think of it in a negative view.

[jzick]

IMO, we are all missing the important part. Tourist taxes, bed taxes, rental car taxes, etc. all are popular because, those affected and most likely to object, are not local voters. They cannot vote a county commissioner, mayor, state legislator, etc out of a job. As governments clamor for money, because getting elected means giving money to constituents in the form of roads/health and welfare programs/etc they continually look for painless ways to tax. So, protest if you want but local politicians will only listen to local protesters.

[Old Rv'er]

We can speak with our wallets, if I find a park, and it charges bed/tourism whatever tax, I will just not stay there, when the locality looses money they will figure it out and remove the tax. Many folks stay at walmart to avoid a campground fee, which I disagree with, but now with everything going up, more taxes included, I might start doing something like that because I don't need to spend money when I bring my bed with me. Casino's usually have a free area, so you can stay in that for nothing, if they don't, and you are a member of the players clud, see if they will comp you a nights stay.