TOT SCal......WHOA!

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Wandering thru RCI Ex-ops this morning and I see Laguna Beach for a few dates that would be extremely tempting if they weren't STU 2/2s.....and maybe it's because I've had two buckets of coffee already but my eye wanders down the page and I see this:

Laguna Shores (#0248)
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419 N. Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
USA
949/494-8521
tricommanagement.com


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If the resort requires a mandatory all-inclusive fee, then such fee, depending on the resort and season, may cover meals, drinks, tours transportation, resort activities, resort amenities, services and facilities and is required to be prepaid at or before check-in. If the resort makes available an optional all-inclusive package for an additional fee, then such fee, depending on resort and season, may cover meals, drinks, tours, transportation, resort activities, resort amenities, services and facilities. A Member may not be able to purchase food or drink at the resort if he/she chooses not to pay the optional fee. Fees, terms and conditions of packages covered by an all-inclusive fee are determined solely by the resort, and are subject to change at any time. Please wait while we retrieve your results...
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USA | Pacific Coast | California
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Units that meet your criteria Total Units Available: 4
Unit Type Max Occup
(Privacy) Kitchen Check-In Date Check-Out Date Price
Studio 2 (2) Full 31-Dec-2010 07-Jan-2011 Exchange Fee Only
Studio 2 (2) Full 25-Mar-2011 01-Apr-2011 Exchange Fee Only
Studio 2 (2) Full 22-Apr-2011 29-Apr-2011 Exchange Fee Only
Studio 2 (2) Full 23-Dec-2011 30-Dec-2011 Exchange Fee Only



Urgent Information
Transient tax is per day and per unit charged by city of Laguna Beach, call resort for details and can change without notice. Tax is approximately $115 per week. Resort has two levels and no elevator. No ocean views from units. Parking is very limited, there is no guarantee of onsite parking. Free parking for seventy two hours is one block away on the city street. Handicap Parking is adjacent to the Resort free of charge if a Placard or Handicap license tag is displayed. When the resort is at or near capacity, there is no guarantee of onsite parking. Free parking is available on the city street for up to 72 hours located one block away. Unit numbers are assigned at check in.
Offer includes only accommodations and specifically excludes travel costs and other expenses that may be incurred.


Granted I haven't stayed in a timeshare in Laguna since July of 2008 but the tax I payed then was ~ $45. What is up with the $115?

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

Everyone wants their pound of flesh.

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

So there's another use for timeshares. Tax their non-resident owners to make up for budget deficiency's.

[javanite Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close javanite]

Laguna Beach, CA - Transient Occupancy Tax

This particular rate is specific to the city of Laguna Beach.

I agree that it is outrageous; unfortunately, the reality is, the rate will be increased each year.

It is "easy" to tax tourists who cannot vote against the taxes.

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

Laguna Beach, CA - Transient Occupancy Tax

This particular rate is specific to the city of Laguna Beach.

I agree that it is outrageous; unfortunately, the reality is, the rate will be increased each year.

It is "easy" to tax tourists who cannot vote against the taxes.

The one thing tourist can do is vote with their feet and their wallets. Get the tourist taxes to high and tourist will go someplace else. See, we don't have to pay their excessive taxes plus, the lost tourism will hurt local business resulting in even greater harm to the community and loss of additional tax revenue.

Eventually compitition will return as locations that lost tourism attempt to desperately get them back. Once the full impact of a bad decision is fealt it's often reversed plus incentives/advertising goes out to reclaim what never should have been lost in the first place.

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

The one thing tourist can do is vote with their feet and their wallets. Get the tourist taxes to high and tourist will go someplace else. See, we don't have to pay their excessive taxes plus, the lost tourism will hurt local business resulting in even greater harm to the community and loss of additional tax revenue.

Eventually compitition will return as locations that lost tourism attempt to desperately get them back. Once the full impact of a bad decision is fealt it's often reversed plus incentives/advertising goes out to reclaim what never should have been lost in the first place.

That does not work very well for unique places like Laguna Beach. Laguna Beach is going to keep attracting tourists because it is a great place. The tourists will grumble and complain about the tax increases but will not stay away. Laguna Beach does not attract many budget travelers so paying an extra $10-20 /day isn't going to keep people away.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

That does not work very well for unique places like Laguna Beach. Laguna Beach is going to keep attracting tourists because it is a great place. The tourists will grumble and complain about the tax increases but will not stay away. Laguna Beach does not attract many budget travelers so paying an extra $10-20 /day isn't going to keep people away.

I'll be more inclined to just stay with dad, who is also on the ocean in Laguna Beach, or just down the road in Capistrano, Dana Pointe or San Clemente. I have only stayed at the timeshares in Laguna to give everyone a bit more room during my visits.

I am used to the ~ $40/week add'l tax for Orange County stays. I'm not going to spend $115 for the privilege.

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

That does not work very well for unique places like Laguna Beach. Laguna Beach is going to keep attracting tourists because it is a great place. The tourists will grumble and complain about the tax increases but will not stay away. Laguna Beach does not attract many budget travelers so paying an extra $10-20 /day isn't going to keep people away.

That's right. To me this is exactly the same as when a government agency collects a tax on mining activities to fund general government operations or a seaport collects a tax on goods moving through its harbors.

Either way, circumstances of geography have created a particular economic benefit to that locale and a slice of that value is being captured to fund government operations.

And in all of those cases, the taxes are generally levied against entities that have no voting power in the locale.

******

The only reason this comes up as a gripe here is because the fee is charged to individuals. If the revenue collection were structured such that it disappeared into something such as special water and sewer surcharges there wouldn't be a peep.

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

I'll be more inclined to just stay with dad, who is also on the ocean in Laguna Beach, or just down the road in Capistrano, Dana Pointe or San Clemente. I have only stayed at the timeshares in Laguna to give everyone a bit more room during my visits.

I am used to the ~ $40/week add'l tax for Orange County stays. I'm not going to spend $115 for the privilege.

That won't affect very much. The vast majority of visitors to Laguna Beach are Californians who want to enjoy the uniqueness of being right there where they can walk to everything, browse the art galleries, etc. Parking is terrible there so I would gladly pay the extra to be able to just walk everywhere.

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

So it might work for Laguna who has a die hard fan base for tourists. I still believe that there will eventually be a breaking point where the cost is no longer worth the benefit, even for Laguna.

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

So it might work for Laguna who has a die hard fan base for tourists. I still believe that there will eventually be a breaking point where the cost is no longer worth the benefit, even for Laguna.

Yep. Just like most businesses, where you raise your prices to the point that there starts to be significant resistance in the market.

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

Some counties in FL charge 12.5%. That's alot of tax.
Laguna's $115 seems cheap compared to FL's outrageous taxes.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Some counties in FL charge 12.5%. That's alot of tax.
Laguna's $115 seems cheap compared to FL's outrageous taxes.

Laguna Beach's tax is 12%. What I wonder is who decided the rack rate for a Studio sleeps two is $950/week in shoulder season for a non-beachfront timeshare. If they keep that up I'll stay next door to Dad at the Surf & Sand Hotel.

Del Mar has a 10% rate and they billed me $45 last April for a one bedroom at Villa L'Auberge which is several rungs up the ladder from Laguna Shores.
http://www.catravelsmart.com/delmar01.htm

[wizards8507 Member Find all posts View Profile Close wizards8507]

On the subject of exchange opportunities, I'm one post away from being able to view them... please forgive this useless post.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

On the subject of exchange opportunities, I'm one post away from being able to view them... please forgive this useless post.

That's fine, enjoy.

On to another totally worthless post of my own....

Apparently my ire at TOT is misplaced. It is not the 10 or 12% although I don't care for it I've been paying it for years. My true anger is aimed at whoever decided the base rate of whichever resort that the TOT is calculated against.

Platinum Interchange has done themselves and timeshare exchangers no favor if their published nightly rates for Laguna Surf is what local gov't is using.

Hot Nights Rental Getaways!

Laguna Shores Laguna Beach, CA
United States 7/15/2010 7/16/2010 ST4/4 $159.77 (weeknight) $197.54 (weekend)