Confusion about taxes from online hotel bookings continue as Ohio bill stalls
Skift Take
A nationwide tax U.S. is an idea that will never happen, but booking sites would love to have some overall clarity on taxation, even if it costs users a bit more on each booking.
A proposal to tax the booking markups of online travel companies, including Expedia and Travelocity, stalled at the Ohio Statehouse this week in a blow to bricks-and-mortar hotels.
A version of Ohio's $61.7 billion, two-year budget that cleared the Senate last week eliminated a House-passed measure that called for applying the state lodging tax on fees charges by so-called hotel intermediaries. The provision also called for allowing hotel operators to try to collect the tax from guests if their online booking company didn't collect it.
The issue could re-emerge as compromise budget talks continue this month.
Whether online travel companies should pay taxes on
