Online travel firms ordered to pay $150M

By Michael Tsai

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 13, 2013

~~<p>A state appellate judge has ordered online travel companies including Expedia, Hotels.com, Priceline, Hotwire, Orbitz, and Travelocity to pay the state about $150 million in Hawaii general excise tax obligations dating back to 2000.</p>
<p>Judge Gary W.B. Chang of the Tax Appeal Court granted summary judgment to the state, concluding that the companies must pay Hawaii general excise tax on the sale of Hawaii hotel rooms.</p>
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A state appellate judge has ordered online travel companies including Expedia, Hotels.com, Priceline, Hotwire, Orbitz, and Travelocity to pay the state about $150 million in Hawaii general excise tax obligations dating back to 2000.

Judge Gary W.B. Chang of the Tax Appeal Court granted summary judgment to the state, concluding that the companies must pay Hawaii general excise tax on the sale of Hawaii hotel rooms. Login for more...