TOT SCal......WHOA!

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

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)

You could always stay at the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach. The rate at the Montage runs from $6,500. - $18,000.+ for a week.

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

You could always stay at the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach. The rate at the Montage runs from $6,500. - $18,000.+ for a week.

No I prefer the Surf and Sand Resort if I have to hotel it at my second home. I can throw a rock at my dad's condo if I'm in the tower. and a mile walk down the beach at low tide is wonderful.

There is a story about how that tower was allowed to be that many stories high...but my family history in Laguna Beach goes back to the 1950s...I don't consider myself a tourista.

Montage has no history to it . It's where Treasure Island was. You can't walk to town from there and you can keep the $50 hamburger.

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

I just reserved 2 nights in a 2br at WorldMark Anaheim. The TOT was $39.28.

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

The tax on that WM Anaheim property is insane! Oceanside just stopped collecting Tax on July 1st of this year.

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

The tax on that WM Anaheim property is insane! Oceanside just stopped collecting Tax on July 1st of this year.

I don't know what you consider insane about it. It looks pretty normal to me for occupancy tax. Occupancy tax typically runs 12% or more so $39.28 for 2 nights is certainly not unreasonable. What Oceanside does is of no consequence if you want to stay in Anaheim.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

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.

Timeshare owners in Laguna Beach don't pay this tax yet and I hope that it will stay this way.

Did you know that timeshare owners on Maui are paying RE taxes as well as a Transient Occupancy Tax which went up to 9.25% since July 1 of this year?

Since most of us are from out of State, we have no vote so take it or leave it.

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

I don't know what you consider insane about it. It looks pretty normal to me for occupancy tax. Occupancy tax typically runs 12% or more so $39.28 for 2 nights is certainly not unreasonable. What Oceanside does is of no consequence if you want to stay in Anaheim.

John,

My problem with taxing EXCHANGES is that each of us typically owns an interval or equivalent at a resort. We paid tax when we purchased. The resorts pay taxes that are divied up and distributed amongst on owners and paid in our maintenance fees. In my mind this is government double dipping.

Not only that but an arbitrarily high rack rate, that has nothing to do with what some of us actually pay in actual costs for our intervals, is being assigned for the tax rates in certain instances.

I have personally processed confirmation letters for both The Manhattan Club and HGVC W57 as well as Affinia in New York and stayed in one of those locations. The ~14.5% taxes ( NY Sales Taxes + 5.875 Room Tax) are not paid by exchangers for their use although they are at the Affinias . Perhaps they should be. New York is just as money hungry as certain cities in southern California. Rack for a week at HGVC is $2580/week. How would you feel if your upcoming stay had a new and exciting $375 tax charge upon checking out?

Anaheim and Oceanside are both located in Southern California, albeit in different counties, and therefore on topic with the thread title.

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

John,

My problem with taxing EXCHANGES is that each of us typically owns an interval or equivalent at a resort. We paid tax when we purchased. The resorts pay taxes that are divied up and distributed amongst on owners and paid in our maintenance fees. In my mind this is government double dipping.

Compare that with staying at a hotel.

The owners of the hotel paid tax when they purchased the building (or made the property improvements). They pay annual taxes. All of these are embedded in the rates charged, so these costs are passed on to the guests in form of room rates.

Then occupancy taxes are charged on top of that.

***

It's really not any different with a timeshare. It just gets bundled a bit differently, that's all.

*****

It's also like utility taxes that many government agencies charge. The utility pays taxes on their equipment when they buy it. If it's a private utility, they pay taxes on the property and goods that they own and they pay income tax on their profits. (We subsidize public utilities by not making them pay taxes on property and income.)

Then a utility tax gets slapped on top of that. That's also double dipping, and that's a double dip that's imposed by own elected officials.

****

"Double-dipping" as you describe is everywhere. The reality is that we want government to provide services, and in pursuit of that we allow government to collect in whatever means seems the most painless.

Is the body politic concerned about double-dipping? Maybe a bit, but not if it means cutting back on bread and circus.

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

John,

My problem with taxing EXCHANGES is that each of us typically owns an interval or equivalent at a resort. We paid tax when we purchased. The resorts pay taxes that are divied up and distributed amongst on owners and paid in our maintenance fees. In my mind this is government double dipping.

Not only that but an arbitrarily high rack rate, that has nothing to do with what some of us actually pay in actual costs for our intervals, is being assigned for the tax rates in certain instances.

I have personally processed confirmation letters for both The Manhattan Club and HGVC W57 as well as Affinia in New York and stayed in one of those locations. The ~14.5% taxes ( NY Sales Taxes + 5.875 Room Tax) are not paid by exchangers for their use although they are at the Affinias . Perhaps they should be. New York is just as money hungry as certain cities in southern California. Rack for a week at HGVC is $2580/week. How would you feel if your upcoming stay had a new and exciting $375 tax charge upon checking out?

Anaheim and Oceanside are both located in Southern California, albeit in different counties, and therefore on topic with the thread title.

The rack rate of $2580 /week is $368 /nt which is definitely in line with what a comparable accommodation would cost at a 4* hotel in Manhattan. Occupancy taxes have nothing to do with property taxes you pay at your home resort. It is a tax charged by many locales for transient visitors which an exchanger definitely is. Using your argument, then I shouldn't have to pay occupancy tax anywhere because I pay property tax on my home where I live.

I paid more than $375 in occupancy tax at the hotel I stayed at in Manhattan in 2008. I just view it as part of the cost of staying there.

Whether we like it or not, that is the way it is. For many years, we didn't have to pay occupancy tax at timeshares whether exchanging or on bonus time. We used to spend a lot of nights in Palm Springs and San Diego on bonus time and there was no occupancy tax but that changed a few years ago.

As I said, timeshare exchangers are transient visitors just like people staying at a hotel. Owners should definitely not be charged if staying at their home resort.

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

...Oceanside just stopped collecting Tax on July 1st of this year.

Yes, I was very pleasantly surprised about that. I haven't learned what drove that decision. I never would have expected it.

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

Yes, I was very pleasantly surprised about that. I haven't learned what drove that decision. I never would have expected it.

They probably did it to compete with other beach towns. Unlike Laguna Beach and many others, there is nothing about Oceanside to really attract visitors.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

John,

My problem with taxing EXCHANGES is that each of us typically owns an interval or equivalent at a resort. We paid tax when we purchased. The resorts pay taxes that are divied up and distributed amongst on owners and paid in our maintenance fees. In my mind this is government double dipping.

They are double dipping and expect more of it in the future as cities and counties are broke.

Not only that but an arbitrarily high rack rate, that has nothing to do with what some of us actually pay in actual costs for our intervals, is being assigned for the tax rates in certain instances.

The rack rate that Laguna Shores is charging is what they get on the open market. The city doesn't care if it is a hotel or timeshare resort.

I have personally processed confirmation letters for both The Manhattan Club and HGVC W57 as well as Affinia in New York and stayed in one of those locations. The ~14.5% taxes ( NY Sales Taxes + 5.875 Room Tax) are not paid by exchangers for their use although they are at the Affinias . Perhaps they should be. New York is just as money hungry as certain cities in southern California. Rack for a week at HGVC is $2580/week. How would you feel if your upcoming stay had a new and exciting $375 tax charge upon checking out?

Anaheim and Oceanside are both located in Southern California, albeit in different counties, and therefore on topic with the thread title.

Lawren, this is a city tax and not a county tax. You are not the only one who is complaining about this tax as many exchangers are but the resort has to collect it.

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)
Be the first to write a review
419 N. Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
USA
949/494-8521
tricommanagement.com


MAP RESORT

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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Units that meet your criteria Total Units Available: 4
Unit Type Max Occup
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Studio 2 (2) Full 31-Dec-2010 07-Jan-2011 Exchange Fee Only
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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?

I had no idea that it had gone up so much. It's awful and timeshares are becoming more of a burden every day when you see all the specials offered on the Internet.