Reason Magazine – America’s Biggest Rental Car Company Is Lobbying to Drive Away Competitors
“If the city could force Turo owners to pay these exorbitant airport fees, then it could likewise impose the fee on anyone driving into SFO to pick up friends or family,” says Steve DelBianco, president of NetChoice, a trade association of online businesses that advocates for consumer freedom. “That’s ridiculous. But so is the aim of this lawsuit.”
“The relationship between rental car companies and state governments often goes both ways. In nearly every state, cars purchased by such companies are not subject to sales tax. NetChoice estimates that this tax break saves them as much as $3 billion annually. Just in California, where other residents have to pay a 7.25 percent tax on the price of a new car, it saved rental car companies more than $560 million in 2016. Peacock argues that if state governments want a level playing field, they should consider giving all residents access to the same exemption.”