said by travelguy :

The only think worse than phone taxes are rental car taxes & fees. They frequently exceed 25% in many cities.

said by benc :

Hotel/Lodging Taxes are also bad.

Once, I stayed a couple nights in Madison, WI for a convention, and the rate was 13.5%. That's far higher than the local sales tax.

said by Taxpayer JoeThe concept is simple. "Soak the tourists."
Sounds like taxation-without-representation to me.
Didn't we fight (and win) a war over that about 230 years ago?
[/BQUOTE :

You're exactly right. The idea is that it's supposed to be popular, as it's a way to raise city revenue without taxing the local population.

The worst part is that it probably won't make a huge difference in demand, because when people visit, it's usually a one time deal, or a few times.

It's sometimes counterintuitive though. My hometown, Bloomington/Normal, IL passed a restaurant only tax of 2%. It's a tax that everyone there pays, the residents and the tourists. It's not enough to make people travel out of town, but enough to annoy. The result is that some people who travel through B-N decide that they'll eat lunch and dinner in other towns along the way.