Rental Car Taxes Are Crazy

Here is a breakdown of my pending 3+ day Alamo rental:
Rate after discount and coupon: $18.66
Frequent Traveler Surcharge (Southwest): $6.00
Taxes: $32.83

The "Frequent Traveler Surcharge" annoys me but does anyone else find it crazy that the taxes are almost 200% of the rental rate?

Like most places, Vegas tries to collect taxes from its visitors, seeing as how we use services when we're there (cops, onramps, toilets) but don't pay income or property taxes there.

Sure, we pay a typical bed tax of 10 to 11 percent like we do in other cities, but Vegas hotel rooms are so cheap that we don't pay much, especially when compared to what we'd pay for a comparable room in Seattle or Savannah. And those of us who get comped rooms pay no bed taxes.

Plus, the casino hotels spend a LOT of money lobbying politicians to keep their gaming and property taxes down.

And so Vegas has been forced to be creative, to try and generate some tax revenue out of us some other way. And since lots of us do rent cars, there you go.

Yes, it's crazy. It's also completely understandable.

Due to greed, corruption, waste and the ineptitude of elected officials with the handling of tax dollars we, the tourists, have the privilege of being gouged by paying these obscene tax amounts. You say "completely understandable", and I say bull$hit. In my opinion, just the price of our bastardized government and elected idiots who are in charge. This gouging of the tourists ( airline baggage fees, ticket pricing, resort fees, taxi cab long hauling, 6/5 BJ, downgrading of slot/ video games,downgrading comps, etc.) has about reached the saturation point for the millions of tourists that visit Vegas. Vegas is killing the goose that laid the golden egg. Meanwhile, your elected officials sit around twiddling their thumbs while figuring new ways to tax ,tax, and tax. It is more than crazy, it is insane. Keep it up Vegas and sooner than later Vegas will become a ghost town. I really hate what Vegas has become. I am now off of my soapbox.

Just FYI, the car rental companies do not charge aywhere near as much of a fee to give American Airlines miles. So if you collect AA miles in addition to the other airlines' miles, the AA miles are always a better deal when renting a car.

- bcc

drmilled---I agree with you 100%. LV grills you anymore. Yes food cheap (cheap food as of late), cheap drinks while playing) not cheap just ot have a few drinks, cheap rooms (resort fees + 13% room tax), cheap cars (taxes + recovery fees). Rentals are no different they get their fair share of taxes without doubt. Argee LV is starting to be a place you love to hate vs what it use to be. Before someone breaks in yes things and time do change however LV has changes have not been for the better. Veteran Visitor of LV since 1986. Past 12 years 6 trips per year.

I agree the taxes on car rentals are to high. My rental for the next trip is About $71.00 in rental fees and about $71.00 in taxes. Some of the taxes I do not even understand. What is the charge for vehicle concession recovery fee? The Nevada sales tax and Nevada government surcharge fee alone is 18.1%.

On the surcharge for the frequent flier miles under the old Southwest sysytem as I recall you got the same airline credit for one day as one week, but if you rented for more than one day the charged you a set amount for each day. There was a limit on the charges I think no more than one week. So the people who rented for longer periods were subsidizing the people who rented for a shorter period. For myself that the benefits gained did not exceed the costs.

Las Vegas and pretty much all cities with travel business know they can tax the crap out of people and get away with it. This is the ultimate "taxation without representation". We get taxed, but have no say since we do not live there, and therefore can not vote.

I really doubt it will ever get better.

Unfortunately, the taxes for rental cars is out of control almost everywhere. I travel frequently for work and leisure, and whether it's Vegas, Portland, Oregon, or Orlando, Florida, the taxes are just as much as the price for renting the car.

It sucks, but for most of us, we have no choice. Just gotta shop around for a great weekly deal and hope for the best.

Bushman

If you needed revenue, would you tax the locals who vote or the visitors who don't?
On the other hand, how many locals use the rent a car center so why should their taxes pay for it?

"On the other hand, how many locals use the rent a car center so why should their taxes pay for it?"

I am sure visitors will be paying that tax long after the building is paid for