Plan Your Meetings

Chicago, Nashville tax travelers the most

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Meeting planners watching their budgets would do well to keep an eye on the tax burden travelers are being asked to pay in potential meeting destinations. The National Business Travel Association completed a study of car rental, hotel and meal taxes in the top 50 U.S. destinations cities (by number of air travelers), and ranked them by overall tax burden (including general sales tax and tax on services travelers use, including cars, hotels and meals) and discriminatory travel tax burden (excluding general sales tax).

Cities with the lowest total tax burden:

1. Honolulu, HI $21.45/day
2. Portland, OR $22.83/day
3. Fort Lauderdale, FL $23.35/day
4. Fort Myers, FL $23.35/day
5. West Palm Beach, FL $24.67/day

Cities with the lowest discriminatory travel tax rates:

1. Oakland, CA $7.58/day
2. West Palm Beach, FL $7.62/day
3. Fort Lauderdale, FL $7.62/day
4. Fort Myers, FL $7.62/day
5. Orange county, CA $8.10/day

Cities with the highest total tax burden:

1. Chicago, IL $42.44/day
2. Nashville, TN $39.55/day
3. Charlotte, NC $38.80/day
4. Seattle, WA $38.70/day
5. Houston, TX $37.62/day

Cities with the highest discriminatory travel taxes:

1. Portland, OR $22.83/day
2. Seattle, WA $21.64/day
3. Atlanta, GA $19.82/day
4. Charlotte, NC $19.78/day
5. Chicago, IL $18.83/day