American Society of Travel Agents member John Giordano, president of Plaza Travel Center in Latham, NY, testified Wednesday before the New York State Joint Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means Committees. Giordano was invited to speak on the two New York state bills that propose a tax on travel agent service fees in connection with hotel bookings and the effect the tax would have on the agency community. In his testimony, Giordano noted that while the original intent of the bills might have been to tax the online mega-agencies, the reality is that as smaller agencies have gained an Internet presence, passage of the bills would severely, if not catastrophically, impact small brick-and-mortar agencies. "From a small business owner's point of view, it classifies as Plaza Travel Center's worst state administrative nightmare ever," Giordano said.
