Skift Take
Win one in Florida, lose one in Hawaii ... the hotel tax issue for online travel agencies has dragged on across the country for nine years. The OTAs have won most of the cases, but there have been important setbacks along the way.
Expedia Inc. and other online travel agencies should be taxed on what they pay for hotel rooms, not for what they charge customers for those accommodations, a Florida state appeals court ruled.
In a 2-1 decision upholding a lower-court ruling, the Florida First District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee said today that the Tourist Development Act doesn’t apply to what a company collects from customers who reserve rooms online.
The companies “are simply conduits through which consumers can compare hotels and rates and book a reservation at the chosen hote
