ALEXANDRIA, VA - Pambuyo pa kampeni yolimba yomwe bungwe la American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) lidachita motsutsana ndi malamulo omwe angakhazikitse msonkho wa 6% pa chindapusa cha bungwe loyendetsa maulendo osungitsa zipinda zama hotelo aku Maryland, Bwanamkubwa waku Maryland a Larry Hogan adatsutsa biluyo. Mamembala a ASTA adachita nawo gawo lalikulu pakugonjetsera Senate Bill (SB) 190, kuphatikiza kuchitira umboni pamilandu ndikuyimba mlandu wawo kudzera pa foni, kukambirana pamasom'pamaso ndi maimelo, kuphatikiza pafupifupi mauthenga 350 olimbikitsa omwe amatumizidwa kwa opanga mfundo za boma kudzera pa intaneti ya ASTA. .
"Tikuyamika Bwanamkubwa Hogan chifukwa chokana ndalamayi, zomwe zikanapangitsa kuti mahotela aku Maryland asamapikisane, mabungwe aku Maryland asakhale ndi phindu, komanso kulepheretsa antchito pafupifupi 105,000 kunja kwa boma kuti agulitse mahotela aku Maryland," atero Purezidenti wa ASTA ndi CEO Zane Kerby. "Kupambana kumeneku kunatheka chifukwa cha mgwirizano wamphamvu pakati pa ASTA ndi anthu ena ogwira ntchito yogawa maulendo, koma makamaka chifukwa cha khama la mamembala athu ammudzi monga Jay Ellenby, Karen Dunlap ndi Larry Swerdlin. Tithokoze chifukwa cha mamembala omwe akutenga nawo mbali - komanso othandizira onse aku Maryland omwe adachita nawo kampeni yathu yayikulu - mabungwe oyendayenda m'dziko lonselo apewa misonkho yatsopano yopitilira $ 5 miliyoni pachaka pamahotelo aku Maryland. "
Bungwe la Senate Bill 190 likadapereka msonkho wa 6% wa boma pa chindapusa cha ntchito ndipo othandizira ena amalipira makasitomala kuti asungitse chipinda chilichonse cha hotelo ku Maryland. ASTA ikuyerekeza kuti ngati idakhazikitsidwa monga momwe idalembedwera, lingaliroli likadawononga $81,000 pamisonkho yatsopano yapachaka ya mabungwe oyendera a Maryland, pamodzi, kapena kupitilira $5 miliyoni pachaka kwa mabungwe m'dziko lonselo.
Lamuloli linapereka Senate pa March 24 ndi voti ya 32 kwa 15. Pa April 8, atakana zosintha zingapo kuti athe kuchepetsa msonkho kapena kusintha ndalamazo, kuphatikizapo ziwiri zoperekedwa ndi Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore / Harford County), Nyumbayi idapereka ndalamazo ndi mavoti a 84 kwa 56. Pa May 22, Bwanamkubwa Hogan adatsutsa lamuloli, ponena za milandu yomwe ikuyembekezeredwa yokhudzana ndi ngati mabungwe akuyenera kubweza misonkho yogulitsa malonda ku Maryland kusungitsa hotelo. Msonkhano Waukulu ukhoza kuyesa kusokoneza veto ya Bwanamkubwa ikakumana mu Januwale 2016.
Mamembala a ASTA adachita nawo gawo lalikulu pankhondo yolimbana ndi lingaliro losaganiziridwa bwinoli, kuphatikiza Jay Ellenby wa Safe Harbors Travel ku Bel Air komanso Treasurer wapano wa ASTA, yemwe adachitira umboni kawiri (pa February 11 ndi Marichi 11) pamaso pa makomiti azamalamulo omwe amatsutsa Bill, pamene Larry Swerdlin wa Burton Travel ku Owings Mills adachitira umboni pa March 11. Pa April 1, Karen Dunlap wa Travel-On, Ltd. adagwirizana ndi Ellenby ndi ASTA SVP wa Boma ndi Zamakampani Eben Peck pamsonkhano wa atolankhani kutsogolo kwa boma. nyumba ikulimbikitsa aphungu kuti atsutsane ndi SB 190. Komanso, Peck ndi Kerby anakumana ndi Woyang'anira Malamulo a Bwanamkubwa Joseph Getty kumayambiriro kwa mwezi wa April.
ASTA yakhala ikugwira ntchito motsutsana ndi malingaliro ofanana okweza msonkho wa hotelo m'chigawo chonsecho mogwirizana ndi ogwirizana ndi makampani oyendayenda monga Travel Technology Association, kuphatikiza posachedwa ku Virginia, komwe koyambirira kwa chaka chino nyumba yamalamulo idavotera chiwongola dzanja chomwe chingapereke chindapusa. "okhala pakati pa malo ogona" pothandizira kusungitsa mahotelo ku Virginia kumisonkho yogulitsa ya Commonwealth komanso misonkho ya anthu okhala kwanuko. Pochita zimenezi, Sosaite yapatsa mphamvu mabungwe oyendayenda kuti amveketse mawu awo ndi aphungu a boma kudzera muzosintha zamalamulo, zokambirana ndi zinthu zina zapansi.
"Kugwira ntchito molimbika kwa mamembala a Maryland ASTA kumawonetsetsa kuti mabungwe apaulendo aku Maryland sadzalandira $81,000 pamodzi pamisonkho yatsopano chaka chilichonse," adatero Kerby. "Ndife othokoza chifukwa cha khama lawo komanso kwa Bwanamkubwa ndi aphungu othandizira, monga Delegate Szeliga, omwe adagwirizana kuti njira yogawa maulendo odziyimira pawokha sayenera kutsata misonkho yatsopano ndi tepi yofiira."
ZOMWE MUNGACHITE PA NKHANIYI:
- 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.
