cleveland , ohio is one of the worst - The Best and Worst U.S. Cities for Travel Taxes - (where has all the tax money gone)

Highest travel taxes

1. Chicago, IL

2. New York, NY

3. Seattle, WA

4. Boston, MA

5. Kansas City, MO

6. Minneapolis, MN

7. Cleveland, OH

8. Nashville, TN

9. Indianapolis, IN

10. Phoenix, AZ

When it comes to collecting taxes from travelers, not all places are created equal. At least that’s what a new study of the top 50 U.S. travel destinations reveals.

A traveler to Chicago, for example, pays an average of 80 percent more in taxes during a one-night stay than when visiting Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.    

The report, “Travel Taxes in the U.S.: The Best and Worst Cities to Visit,” found that taxes targeting travelers impose an average cost of 56 percent more than general sales taxes. Taxes on travel-related services, called discriminatory travel taxes, are for things like staying at hotels, renting cars, and eating in restaurants. 

“The discriminatory sales tax is above and beyond the general sales tax and is borne largely by travelers,” said Joe Bates, director of research for the GBTA Foundation, which released the 2011 annual report last week.

The GBTA Foundation is the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), a trade group for corporate travel managers and suppliers based in Alexandria, Va.

Travel-related taxes are often used to fund local projects unrelated to tourism and business travel, and with few exceptions, most cities and states have general sales taxes, Bates said.

The top 50 markets are ranked two ways: by overall travel tax burden (general sales tax and travel-related taxes combined), and by travel-related taxes only.

The report includes separate data for central city and airport locations, as the tax structures are often distinct.

http://news.yahoo.com/best-worst-u-cities-travel-taxes-221304456.html [1]

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