NTA Joins Coalition Opposing D.C. Motorcoach Fees

August 1, 2007

NTA Joins Coalition Opposing D.C. Motorcoach Fees
Aug. 1, 2007 –NTA joined the American Bus Association and the United Motorcoach Association to fight a recently implemented $50 permit fee that is now required for every motorcoach visiting Washington, D.C.

The coalition filed a lawsuit in Washington, D.C., Superior Court to stop the city from collecting $50 trip "permit fees" every six days from each motorcoach entering the city. For each "trip permit" fee (commonly known as a tax) operators must surrender $50 per coach for each six-day period, or up to $2,200 per year for each bus.

"The effects of the new motorcoach permit fee will be felt throughout the region’s tourist-centered services," said Lisa Simon, NTA president. "And the money lost to D.C. tourism will never be fully quantified, because we’ll never know who decided not to visit D.C. because of this regressive tax."