Minn。代理人集会抗击州销售税
by玛丽亚·伦哈特(Maria Lenhart)/明尼苏达州的一项销售税提案对旅行社的潜在影响造成了抨击,当时旅行卖家加入了来自其他行业的一群小型企业主在州立法机关之前作证。
If enacted, Minnesota House Bill HF677 could require the state’s travel agencies to pay a 5.5% annual tax on gross sales. The legislation is based on Gov. Mark Drayton’s proposal to extend the state’s sales tax to a range of businesses and services, including travel agencies. A similar bill is pending in the state’s Senate chambers.
ASTA, GBTA take part
Representatives from ASTA and GBTA were part of the 12-member travel delegation that spoke before the Minnesota House Tax Committee on the bill.
根据ASTA的估计,该立法将意味着一家总销售额为540万美元的机构每年必须向明尼苏达州分叉超过30万美元的额外税款。
Agencies outside of Minnesota that sell to Minnesotans likely would be hit as well, according to ASTA. (See:ASTA Battles State Plans to Tax Travel Agent Sales)
ASTA上西部上级总裁Gloria Stock Mickelson说,旅行社认为,旅行社应获得豁免。
机构如何不同
在证词中,旅行行业成员努力教育委员会成员有关旅行社与大多数其他零售业务的不同以及为什么对总收入的税收税会使代理商失业的税款。
“我们必须强调我们的货币流量与其他零售商有何不同,因为这是通行证的钱,”明尼阿波利斯旅行领导人的教育和培训高级培训高级经理Mickelson说。“我们不拥有商品,也不会标记它们。”
米克尔森告诉立法者,对旅行社总销售收入的税收总额将导致代理商缴纳的税款高于其收入。
“Because the bill says ‘gross receipts,’ it means that anything that we take in with cruises, tours, etc., would be counted. We’d be taxed on money that we don’t even keep,” she said. “One of our members figured that under the 5.5% tax, his agency would be paying $5,827 in taxes on $105,954 in gross sales,” while only netting $5,575 on those sales.
对公司机构的影响
Among those testifying before the committee about the “detrimental” aspects of the bill was Patrick Algyer, president of the North Central Business Travel Association, an affiliate of GBTA.
The sales tax proposal would be devastating to corporate travel agencies, even if they pass on the added expense to their clients, Algyer toldbeplay客服.
“我们的很多商务旅行managers use local agencies and they report what they spend to procurement departments,” he said. “If this makes doing business with Minnesota agencies more expensive, it’s likely that procurement will require them to work with agencies in other states.”
阿尔吉尔(Algyer)是明尼阿波利斯(Minneapolis)的一家豪华收藏酒店酒店的企业销售经理,他还认为“征税旅行服务和旅行社将向整个明尼苏达州旅行行业发送深刻的反企业信息。”
Algyer acknowledged that the sales tax proposal is well-intentioned. “There were some great arguments in favor of the taxation – it would go toward helping disabled and elderly people,” he said. “But the impact on small businesses would be devastating.”
Grassroots efforts
Last week’s testimony was the latest move in a grassroots effort among Minnesota travel agencies to head off the legislation. The agents’ efforts also include a letter and email campaign targeting legislators known to be undecided on the issue.
参加基层运动的人包括Bursch Travel,该旅行在明尼苏达州设有12个办事处,自1956年以来一直在营业。
店主弗雷德·伯希(Fred Bursch)要求他的50名居住在该州各地的员工告诉其立法代表他们对税收的反对。他说:“通过我的当地经理,我们能够与各种代表进行对话。”
在最坏的情况下,对他的机构在明尼苏达州的总收入的税款可能每年150万美元的税款 - “而且我没有接近这一点,” Bursch说。
替代方案也很昂贵
If the tax is enacted, Bursch Travel would need to pass on the tax costs to clients, and that would be costly, he said.
“You would have credit card fees and the cost of accounting involved. I’d have to add at least one more staff person, so it would still come out of my pocket,” he said. “And if consumers have to pay more, it could be the deciding factor in not booking a vacation.”
立法的另一个可能结果是,营业税将仅适用于旅行社费用。Bursch估计,这仍会使他的代理商每年损失约70,000美元。
“Travel agencies operate on very thin margins, so any added costs are digging into our already limited profits,” he said.
他说,如果拟议的立法有光明的一面,那就是在线旅行销售也将征收营业税。“因此,至少在那里的比赛环境将是水平的。”
Jobs at stake
明尼苏达州约有300家旅行社,还有800多个独立承包商。米克尔森说,这意味着很多工作都受到威胁。
股票米克尔森说,一位住在北达克法戈边境的明尼苏达州机构老板让州长知道,如果该提议成为法律,她将把她的代理机构搬出明尼苏达州。
“All the agencies now are looking at their contingency plans and that’s a shame,” she said. “We’ve all weathered a lot in the travel industry over the years – and now we have to deal with our own state.”