A travel trade group ranked Fort Lauderdale No. 1 for the lowest taxes a typical traveler might pay — that is, the standard sales taxes plus levies on rental cars, meals and hotel stays. Florida and California generally have the lowest tourist taxes, according to the study by the Global Business Travel Association, and Broward edged out competitors by not adding the local taxes imposed by many counties in the Sunshine State.
Broward charges five cents for every dollar a guest pays a hotel, while Miami-Dade charges six cents. On top of that, Broward hotels collect Florida’s 6 percent sales tax, while Miami-Dade hotels collect the state tax as well as a 1 percent local tax that funds public hospitals and transportation projects.
The ranking by the Global Business Travel Association also looked at rental-car taxes and other government fees incurred by travelers. The study said the Fort Lauderdale area tied Fort Myers and West Palm Beach as the cheapest in the country, with the typical traveler paying $22.21 per day. The worst: Chicago, where a typical traveler pays $40.31.
DOUGLAS HANKS
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