Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Oklahoma sues online travel firms

|
|
 
  
Published: Nov. 3, 2010 at 12:35 PM
Advertisement

OKLAHOMA CITY, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Oklahoma got in line behind Florida and San Antonio, Texas, in an effort to collect taxes from out-of-state travel companies, court papers show.

The state filed a lawsuit against a variety of online travel firms, including Priceline.com, Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity, to recoup millions of dollars in taxes the state says it is owed for hotel room bookings, The Oklahoman reported Wednesday.

The lawsuit says the online companies use a variety of methods to avoid paying their full share to the state, including paying taxes and a wholesale tax rate, the newspaper said.

Florida and several cities in Texas have filed similar lawsuits, but Interactive Travel Services Association spokesman Andrew Weinstein said most of the cases fail.

A spokesman for Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry said, "We believe some out-of-state firms have not paid their appropriate state sales tax bill and have essentially shorted Oklahoma taxpayers out of hundreds of millions of dollars," the newspaper reported.

Recommended Stories
© 2010 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
Protesters, police clash at NATO summit Notable deaths of 2012 2012 Billboard Music Awards
The 137th Preakness Stakes Annual Solar eclipse occurs in U.S. Chen Guangcheng arrives in the U.S.
Additional Business News Stories
1 of 29
FORT LAUDERDALE HOSTS FLEET WEEK
View Caption
Crew members of the USS Kearsarge, Bryane Ingram, Timothy Williams, Curtilious Ingram and Yosuf Hill (l to r) prepare for shore leave shortly after docking at Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on April 30, 2007. The Kearsarge and her crew will participate in Fleet Week USA as part of the McDonalds Air and Sea Show. (UPI Photo/Joe Marino-Bill Cantrell)
fark
The militant wing of the Salvation Army strikes again
Bizarre legal case involving a mysterious billionaire could force 1 million Quebecois to be married,...
Sorry about the 5 years you spent in prison because I falsely accused you of rape. Wanna be friends...
Woman fined for damaging telemarketer's hearing after blowing whistle into phone. Whatever the fine...
Hottest new game show around: School Food or Prison Food? Warning: may induce nausea and vomiting...
Old and busted: Low-carb junk food. New hotness: Gluten free junk food