| The Tax Barometer is composed of four trip elements:
lodging, car rental, meals, and airport arrival and departure. Each element of the
trip is priced according to a standard purchase by a hypothetical "WTTC
Traveler" in each destination.
This trip includes
the purchase of four nights' lodging, four days'
car rental, twelve meals, and one set of international arrival and departure
airport charges. Taxes imposed on these purchases are then
identified, recorded, and developed into a sector index. Next, these elements are
aggregated into a composite index for the destination, based on the average cost of each
element included in the standardized trip. If you would like more information on the
development of the Tax Barometer, please refer to our research methodology. |
 |
Rank |
|
Total tax $ for 5-day/4-night trip: |
$182.74 |
30 |
|
Percentage of total item cost: |
16.64% |
32 |
|
Overall tax index: |
105 |
11 |
The first item in the above table represents
the combined tax total
paid by the WTTC Traveler in each of the four sectors in
Vancouver. The second
item (percentage of total
item cost)
indicates what percentage of the total bill
is devoted to taxes.
The last item (overall tax index)
reflects the cumulative change in the amount
of tax paid in U.S. dollars between June 1994 and
June 2002.
The rankings show how
Vancouver compares with other Tax Barometer cities; a ranking of 1
is most competitive, while a ranking of 52 is least competitive.
Summary:
Vancouver currently has an
overall Tax Barometer index of 105,
indicating a
5% increase in
travel-related taxes since June 15, 1994.
This change can be
attributed increases in the car rental and restaurant sectors, which
helped offset an decrease in the air passenger sector.
Hotel taxes remain at their base index
levels. For a five-day, four-night trip to
Vancouver, travelers
can expect to pay approximately $183.00 in tourism-related taxes, a
total that ranks as the 23rd highest among all
surveyed destinations. |
 |
Rank |
|
Average price for 4-day rental (mid-size) without taxes: |
$144.48 |
- |
|
Airport access fee: |
15.60% |
- |
|
Goods and services tax (GST): |
7.00% |
- |
|
Provincial sales tax (PST): |
7.50% |
 |
|
Passenger vehicle rental tax (per day): |
C$ 1.50 |
- |
|
Vehicle license and registration fee (per day): |
C$ 0.47 |
- |
|
Air conditioning surcharge recovery fee
(per day): |
C$ 0.71 |
- |
|
Total charges for 4-day rental with taxes: |
$196.09 |
- |
|
Total tax $ for 4-day rental: |
$51.61 |
31 |
|
Percentage of total car rental cost: |
26.32% |
44 |
|
Car rental tax index: |
115 |
24 |
|
(
in rank column indicates a tax increase in Tax Barometer No. 11)
Summary:
Car rental taxes have increased 15% in Vancouver since 1994, the
24th smallest increase among the 52 surveyed destinations.
This change can be attributed to an increase in the airport access fee
(from 13.87% to 15.60% in 2001), and to the introduction of two new
taxes: the vehicle license and registration fee and the air
conditioning surcharge recovery fee, both of which were introduced in
2001. The index was also affected by a half-percent increase in
the provincial sales tax in 2002. For a four-day mid-sized car rental, visitors can expect
to pay approximately $52.00 in taxes, a total that ranks as the 22nd
highest among all surveyed destinations. |
 |
Rank |
|
Average price for 4-nights lodging without taxes: |
$479.47 |
- |
|
Goods and services tax
(GST): |
7.00% |
- |
|
Local lodging tax: |
10.00% |
- |
| Total
charges for 4-nights lodging with taxes: |
$560.98 |
- |
|
Total tax $ for four-nights: |
$81.51 |
36 |
|
Percentage of total hotel room cost: |
14.53% |
43 |
|
Hotel
tax index: |
100 |
8 |
Summary: Vancouver's hotel tax rates
remain at their base index levels. For a four-night hotel stay,
visitors can expect to pay approximately $82.00 in taxes, a total that
ranks as the 17th highest among all 52 surveyed destinations. |
 |
Rank |
|
Average price for 12 restaurant meals
without taxes: |
$317.22 |
- |
|
Provincial sales tax
(PST): |
7.50% |
|
|
Total charges for 12 meals with taxes: |
$341.01 |
- |
|
Total tax $ for 12 meals: |
$23.79 |
24 |
|
Percentage of total restaurant meals cost: |
6.98% |
17 |
|
Restaurant tax index: |
107 |
33 |
(
in rank column indicates a tax increase in Tax Barometer No. 11)
Summary: Taxes on restaurant meals in Vancouver have risen
7% since 1994, the result of a 0.5% increase in the provincial sales
tax. Vancouver collects approximately
$24.00 in taxes for 12 meals, a total that ranks as the 24th lowest
among all 52 surveyed destinations. |
 |
Rank |
|
Vancouver airport improvement fee: |
C$ 15.00 |
- |
|
International air travelers security charge: |
C$ 24.00 |
|
|
Total tax $ for international arrival and departure: |
$25.83 |
37 |
|
Percentage of total trip cost: |
2.35% |
37 |
|
Air passenger tax index: |
98 |
3 |
Summary:
Taxes on international airline passengers in Vancouver have decreased
2% since 1994, the third largest reduction among any surveyed
destination. This change can be attributed to the abolishment of
the Canadian air transport tax in 2000; this tax was levied at a rate
of C$ 25.00 in the base index. The index rose in 2002 following
the introduction of the international air travelers security charge.
This C$ 24.00 fee (C$ 12.00 for one-way flights) was introduced to pay
for enhanced security systems at Canadian airports. The $25.83 in taxes collected on
an international arrival/departure ranks as the 15th highest among all
52 surveyed destinations. |
 |
|
Barometer No. 1:
The 2.0% increase in
the airline index was due to a C$ 2.50 increase in the international
air transport tax imposed on departing travelers.
Barometer No. 6:
The Canadian air transportation tax was reduced from C$ 27.50
to C$ 15.00.
Barometer No. 9:
Air passenger charges were further reduced when the Canadian
government abolished the C$ 15.00 Canadian air transport tax.
Barometer No. 10:
The airport access fee was increased to 15.6%, and fees for vehicle
registration (C$ 0.47/day) and air conditioning surcharge (C$
0.71/day) were introduced.
Barometer No. 11:
British Columbia’s
provincial sales tax was increased from 7.0% to 7.5%, affecting
restaurants and car rentals. In the airline sector, a new
international air traveler’s security charge was introduced at a rate
of C$ 12.00 for one-way flights and C$ 24.00 for round trip flights.
The revenue is earmarked for new security measures at Canadian
airports.
|
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