NBTA Urges Congress to Prohibit Unfair Ground Transportation Fees
ALEXANDRIA, VA, July 15, 2009 - The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) today urged Congress to amend legislation that would prohibit U.S. transportation terminals from levying unfair fees and taxes on pre-arranged ground transportation services. Changes to the Real Interstate Driver's Equity (RIDE) Act, passed in 2002, would require airports and other transportation ports to adhere to legislative intent.
NBTA President & CEO, Kevin Maguire, CCTE, GLP, said: Despite Congressional efforts in 2002 to curb local and state government taxes on ground transportation services, some terminals in the United States continue to charge fees to all for-hire vehicles. These fees are forcing out small businesses, curtailing competition and driving up costs for business travelers.
To remedy this problem, NBTA supports language that would prohibit a transportation terminal using federal funds for infrastructure overhaul from taxing pre-arranged ground transportation services. We urge Congress to re-examine the RIDE Act, thus ensuring the corporate travel community is not unjustly targeted.
The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) is the world's premier business travel and corporate meetings organization. NBTA and its regional affiliates - NBTA Asia Pacific, the Brazilian Business Travel Association (ABGEV), NBTA Canada, NBTA Mexico and NBTA USA - serve a network of more than 15,000 business travel professionals around the globe with industry-leading events, networking, education & professional development, research, news & information, and advocacy. NBTA members, numbering more than 4,000 in 30 nations, are corporate and government travel and meetings managers, as well as travel service providers. They collectively manage and direct more than US$200 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually on behalf of more than 10 million business travelers within their organizations. For more information, visit www.nbta.org.
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