Study highlights best, worst cities for tourist taxes

[alp227]

New York (CNN) -- A list of the top five 2011 U.S. cities with the lowest and highest tourism taxes is out, showing cost differences in as much as 56% on average, according to an annual study by the Global Business Travel Association Foundation.

Listed as the five lowest tax burdened cities out of 50 destinations, three Florida cities topped the list with Fort Lauderdale in first, Fort Myers in second, and West Palm Beach in third.

All are in both general sales tax and travel-related services such as car rental, hotel and meals.

Following in fourth was Detroit, and Portland, Oregon, in fifth.

full: http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/07/22/top.tourism.cities/index.html

[jmowreader]

1. This is mostly a worry to corporate travel planners

And even then it depends on things like how far the majority of your attendees are from that particular city.

For leisure travel, it's not such a big deal: it doesn't matter if Detroit has the fourth-lowest tourism tax in America if no one actually wants to go to Detroit. Chicago, New York City, Seattle and Boston can get away with having high tourism taxes because lots of people want to see those places.