ALEXANDRIA, VA - Ina ua maeʻa se tauiviga malosi sa faia e le American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) e faʻasaga i tulafono o le a tuʻuina atu ai se lafoga faʻatau e 6% mo pili o ofisa femalagaaʻi mo le okaina o potu o faletalimalo i Maryland, ua veto e le Kovana o Larry Hogan le pili. E taua tele le sao o sui o le ASTA i le faʻatoʻilaloina o le Senate Bill (SB) 190, e aofia ai molimau i le fofogaina o mataupu ma faia a latou mataupu e ala i telefoni, talanoaga faʻafesagai ma imeli, e aofia ai ma le lata i le 350 tala feʻau na auina atu i le au fai tulafono a le ASTA i luga o le upega tafailagi i luga o le upega tafailagi. .
"Matou te faʻafetai ia Kovana Hogan mo le teenaina o lenei pili, lea semanu e faʻaitiitia ai le faʻatauvaʻa o faletalimalo a Maryland, o ofisa o Maryland e le maua ni tupe mama, ma faʻaleagaina le toeitiiti 105,000 sui i fafo atu o le setete e faʻatau atu faletalimalo Maryland," o le tala lea a le Peresetene ma le Pule Sili o le ASTA Zane Kerby. "O lenei manumalo na mafai ona maua e ala i se faiga faapaaga malosi i le va o le ASTA ma isi paaga tufatufaina o femalagaaiga, ae maise lava i taumafaiga a o tatou tagata i le lotoifale e pei o Jay Ellenby, Karen Dunlap ma Larry Swerdlin. Faʻafetai i nei sui auai malosi-ma sui uma Maryland na auai i la matou faʻasalalauga faʻapitoa-o ofisa femalagaaʻi i le salafa o le atunuʻu ua aloese mai le sili atu i le $ 5 miliona i le tausaga i lafoga fou i luga o fale talimalo a Maryland.
O le pili a le Senate 190 e ono faʻatatau i le setete e 6% lafoga faʻatau atu i pili o tautua ma isi markup agents e totogi tagata faʻatau mo le okaina o soʻo se potu faletalimalo i Maryland. Ua fuafuaina e le ASTA afai e faʻatinoina e pei ona tusia, o le talosaga e $ 81,000 lona tau i lafoga fou faaletausaga mo ofisa femalagaaʻi a Maryland, tuʻufaʻatasi, pe sili atu i le $ 5 miliona i tausaga taʻitasi mo faʻalapotopotoga a le atunuʻu.
Na pasia e le Senate le Senate ia Mati 24 i le palota e 32 i le 15. Ia Aperila 8, ina ua teena le tele o teuteuga e faʻatapulaʻa ai le ausia o le lafoga pe faʻaleleia atili le pili, e aofia ai ma le lua na ofoina e Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore / Harford County), na pasia e le maota le pili i le palota e 84 i le 56. O le Me 22, na veto ai e le Kovana Hogan le pili, ma ia taua ai le talia ai o le mataupu e faʻatatau pe le o manaʻomia ni ofisa e toe lafo lafoga o lafoga e fesoʻotaʻi atu ma nofoaga o faletalimalo i Maryland. E mafai e le Fono Tele ona taumafai e soloia le veto a le Kovana pe a usuia ia Ianuari 2016.
Na taua tele le sao o sui o le ASTA i le taua, ina ia manumalo i lenei manatu le mafaufau, e aofia ai le aliʻi o Jay Ellenby o le Safe Harbours Travel i Bel Air ma le teutupe a le ASTA, o le na molimau faʻalua (i le aso 11 Fepuari ma le aso 11 o Mati), i luma o komiti a le Fono Faitulafono na faʻaalia lo latou teteʻe i le tulafono. pili, ao molimau Larry Swerdlin o Burton Travel i Owings Mills ia Mati 11. I le aso 1 o Aperila, Karen Dunlap o Travel-On, Ltd. na auai ia Ellenby ma ASTA SVP o le Malo ma Alamanuia Mataupu Tau le Eben Peck i se feiloaiga ma tusitala i luma o le setete. fale faʻamalosia le au faitulafono e teteʻe ia SB 190. Faʻapea foi, Peck ma Kerby feiloaʻi ma le Kovana Sili Pule Faʻatonusili Joseph Getty i le amataga o Aperila.
ASTA sa galue faasaga i tutusa lafoga faletalimalo talosaga faʻalauteleina i le itumalo i le vavalalata vavalalata ma femalagaaiga fesoasoani paaga e pei o le Travel Technology Association, e aofia ai talu ai nei i Virginia, lea amataga o le tausaga le palemene palota i lalo se pili o le a totogiina totogifuapauina totogiina e “Nofoaga faufautua” mo le faʻafaigofieina o faletalimalo i Virginia i lafoga uma a le Commonwealth ma lafoga o loʻo nonofo ai tagata. I le faia o lea mea, ua faʻamalosia e le Sosaiete ofisa femalagaaʻi e faʻasalalau o latou leo e le au faitulafono o le setete e ala i tulafono faʻafouina, talanoaga manatu ma isi aʻoga punaoa.
"O le galue malosi o sui o le ASTA a Maryland, e mautinoa ai e le lavea le ofisa femalagaaʻi a Maryland i le $ 81,000 faaopoopo i lafoga fou i tausaga uma," o le tala lea a Kerby. "Matou te faʻafetai tele mo a latou taumafaiga ma mo le Kovana ma le au faitulafono lagolago, pei o le sui o Szeliga, o e na malilie e le tutoʻatasi malaga tufatufaina faiga e le tatau ona taulaʻi iai lafoga fou ma mumu lipine."
OA MEA E AVEA MAI LENEI TUSI:
- 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.
