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PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Debra Kelman Loew
212-794-DKPR (3577)
dkelman@dkpr.com
July 17, 2003
THE TRAVEL BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE (TBR) APPLAUDS EFFORTS TO
REINSTATE SPOUSAL TRAVEL TAX DEDUCTION
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Travel Business Roundtable
(TBR) today praised Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
for introducing a bill in the Senate that would permanently
restore the spousal travel tax deduction. The legislation,
(S.1408) was co-sponsored by Assistant Minority Leader
Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senator Zell Miller (D-GA).
In the House, Representative Neil Abercrombie æ a long-time
champion of the re-institution of the spousal travel deduction
æ also has a bill (H.R. 1313), introduced earlier this
year, that would permanently restore the deduction.
The spousal tax deduction had previously been in effect until
1993 and allows for business travelers to deduct the full
cost of meals, airplane tickets and lodging for spouses.
The most recent figures show that in 2002, U.S. domestic
business travel declined 5.5 percent over 2001, and is down
nearly 9 percent from 2000. There are many factors contributing
to what is likely to be a continued decrease in business travel:
many companies that instituted travel bans in the wake of
9/11 continue to do so due to the weak economy; and the recent
war in Iraq and concerns about SARS caused even more companies
to place severe limits on the amount of travel that takes
place or ban it altogether. For all segments of the travel
and tourism industry this downturn in travel translates to
major revenue losses. For local, state and federal governments,
this means significantly lower tax revenues.
“Restoration of the spousal tax deduction is a necessary
incentive to help spur business travel,” notes Jonathan
Tisch, chairman of the Travel Business Roundtable and chairman
and CEO of Loews Hotels. “It means that two people would
be traveling instead of one, two people eating in restaurants,
two people shopping, and two people visiting cultural attractions.
As TBR has been working towards the restoration of the spousal
travel tax deduction for the past several years, we are very
pleased that the leadership in Congress understands how this
legislation would help revitalize the travel and tourism industry,
as well as the economy as a whole.”
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