NBTA Against Colorado Car Rental Tax
DENEVER, CO, APRIL 28, 2008. The Rocky Mountain Business Travel Association (RMBTA) and the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) today spoke up on behalf of the businesses and citizens of Colorado in opposition to the proposal to burden car rental customers with a new statewide tax of $6 per day (SB08-244, The Transportation Infrastructure Preservation Act).
"Don't be fooled by the idea that a car rental tax only affects out-of-towners. This tax will also hit the wallets of Colorado citizens and will hurt the budgets of Colorado businesses," said RMBTA President Pamela McTeer. "Research has shown that about half of all car rental customers are local, and that the majority of businesses spend more than half of their car rental budgets in markets where they are located. Adding such a high charge to every car rental on a daily basis is likely to cost Coloradoans millions of dollars each year."
A steep new car rental tax could also cost the state incoming meetings and convention business. In the meeting destination selection process, organizations like NBTA are now reviewing the tax burden for meeting attendees as one of the criteria. NBTA hosts a number of large meetings, including an annual convention that brings more than 6,000 attendees and about $20 million in direct spend in the host city.
About RMBTA
Founded in 1982, the Rocky Mountain Business Travel Association (RMBTA) provides an important forum for the exchange of information, education and ideas among its members, who include representatives from local corporations and leading travel industry suppliers. Our emphasis is on working together to better understanding new and emerging travel management practices.
About NBTA
The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) is the world's premier business travel organization. U.S.-based NBTA and its regional subsidiaries - NBTA Asia Pacific, NBTA Canada and NBTA Mexico - serve more than 3,200 members in 30 nations around the globe. NBTA has 41 U.S. Chapters with more than 5,000 members. NBTA members are corporate and government travel and meetings managers, as well as travel service providers, who collectively manage and direct more than US$170 billion of global business travel expenditures annually. The association provides industry-leading networking, education & professional development, research, news & information, and advocacy. For more information, visit www.nbta.org.
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