%16 scuba tax in Cozumel?

[ReefHound]

and the airport shuttle boss selling me tickets then claiming not enough passengers so I’d have to either buy all the seats or pay a $25 taxi to drive ten minutes, forcing us to leave the airport to get a $10 taxi,

Never have I heard of or experienced in my 20+ experiences being required to buy all the empty seats in a shuttle. Sounds like you are buying a cheap colectivo ticket then expecting the driver to go immediately when you get into the van. If you want private shuttle service you have to buy a private shuttle ticket. The colectivos are shared vans based on filling as many seats as possible which means they may wait about 10 minutes or so but at some point they close the doors and go with what they have. There have been a few times where they left with just us as the only two passengers.

I've never put a timer on it but my gut says the wait has never exceeded 15 minutes. Hint: it ranges from 0.25 to 1 beers. Additional hint: there is a little bar by the shuttles to help you chill.

 

[ggunn]

...and the airport shuttle boss selling me tickets then claiming not enough passengers so I’d have to either buy all the seats or pay a $25 taxi to drive ten minutes...

If you say so, but I have never heard of that happening. If you bought tix from a "shuttle boss" you bought them differently than I have; I get them at a window in the airport departure area, and the people in those windows are not bosses. The shuttles combine destinations, so I don't see how there could not be enough passengers for a given shuttle unless maybe you came in on a tiny plane when there were no other arrivals.

But at any rate, I have been through the arrival process in the Cozumel airport dozens of times and I have never seen what you are describing. I can't say that it never happened, but at the very least it would have been a very unusual situation.

EDIT: As Reefhound said, maybe if you demanded that the shuttle leave immediately without waiting for more passengers they would tell you that they would only do that if you bought the remaining empty seats.

 

[kelemvor]

Not lawful to state the price without the tax included.

I wish we had a law like that in the good 'ol US of A.

 

[ggunn]

I wish we had a law like that in the good 'ol US of A.

A law like what?

 

[ReefHound]

I'm not one to state exactly what is legal but my experiences with many different dive op, hotels, and other services is all over the map. Some add the tax, some don't. Some mention the tax, some don't. Some even say you pay the tax if you pay by credit card or transfer but not if you pay by cash.

While the latter sounds like the place is running "off books" and not collecting the tax to gain a competitive price advantage, we as a customer can never know that. We don't know for sure that a place that collects the tax is passing it on and not pocketing it as extra profit. The customer is not a party to and does not see the business-government part of the transaction.

I would not want to support a renegade business that cheats, whether that's not getting the required permits or not properly reporting it's taxes/sales or not paying it's employees proper wages. But as a customer, I have no way of really knowing what is happening after I hand over the amount of money the business requires of me.

 

[BRT]

the difference is pretty clear. you said "Not lawful to state the price without the tax included.".....christi was kind enough to explain to us that this is not the case.

apparently a business can either quote you a total price which "includes" the tax (which is what you said was required) or they can quote you the actual cost plus the added gov taxes.

but i can see why this would confuse some people. it should be one way or the other so it is consistent.

i do not remember ever seeing an extra 16 added to any bills. so i assume it must have been included. if i was to return tomorrow and started seeing an extra 16% i would ef be questioning it just like the op has done.

They cannot quote the price without the tax. The tax has to be quoted at the same time.

 

[kelemvor]

A law like what?

A law that required the price on goods and services to INCLUDE any taxes and fees. It would be a minor convenience for sales tax, but for things like hotels and airplane tickets it would be a godsend.

Its such a convoluted mess that you really can't know what a room will cost until you go to some website and click "book" to see what the cost will actually be.

California sales tax is 8% . Nowhere in USA is 16%.

I think typical US taxes on rental cars and hotels beats that usually.

I think you are wrong. And I actually checked a few.

Loady, you are incorrect.

I just booked a Florida, USA hotel stay last Friday. The taxes and fees came to 19.77%. 5 nights =$1180, taxes & fees = $233.40
I guess in America, we should say "I wish we only had to pay the 16% tax they charge in Cozumel." Pretty sure Pensylvania, Massivetwoshits, and Conneticut are worse. I'll have to look up some old hotel bills to compare.

 

[BRT]

A law that required the price on goods and services to INCLUDE any taxes and fees. It would be a minor convenience for sales tax, but for things like hotels and airplane tickets it would be a godsend.

Its such a convoluted mess that you really can't know what a room will cost until you go to some website and click "book" to see what the cost will actually be.






Loady, you are incorrect.

I just booked a Florida, USA hotel stay last Friday. The taxes and fees came to 19.77%. 5 nights =$1180, taxes & fees = $233.40
I guess in America, we should say "I wish we only had to pay the 16% tax they charge in Cozumel." Pretty sure Pensylvania, Massivetwoshits, and Conneticut are worse. I'll have to look up some old hotel bills to compare.

I don't know what fees they are adding on but Florida's sales tax is 6% and their hotel tax is 6% according to Mr. Google. Do you suppose the hotel has it's own fees? Be interesting to see a breakdown.

 

[loady]

Kelemvor, hotels taxes aka soak the tourist taxes are separate from sales tax and resort fees. The are only charged on lodging. They pass because locals don’t stay in hotels. I don’t know of any similar USA tax. Normal USA Sales tax is what’s charged on everything but unprepared food. That’s what I’m talking about on Mexican diving. MOST Coz operators include it in the listed prices. The one that I used, when the tax was added made it one of the more expensive dive companies. But because of location and schedule I didn’t have a choice. In ca at least sales tax not supposed to be charged On labor, like a car mechanic. Resort fee is most egregious in Vegas. Some states have tried passing truth in resort fees disclosure laws but I don’t know if any have succeeded.

 

[DandyDon]

A law that required the price on goods and services to INCLUDE any taxes and fees. It would be a minor convenience for sales tax, but for things like hotels and airplane tickets it would be a godsend.

Its such a convoluted mess that you really can't know what a room will cost until you go to some website and click "book" to see what the cost will actually be.

Well, congress did pass one a few years back forcing airlines to price more complete plane tickets, but some hotels are ridiculous in the way they spring a big resort fee on you after shopping.

the airport shuttle boss selling me tickets then claiming not enough passengers so I’d have to either buy all the seats or pay a $25 taxi to drive ten minutes

Put me in the "I've never seen that" camp. How did you arrive at a time no one else did?

We are supporting the Cozumel economy with our dollars.

No surprise there. The same is true wherever one travels.

I’m ready to go to Honduras and dive Roatan for similar diving at lower prices.

You can do that. That was my first international destination, the time we got stuck when the skies closed after 9-11-01. I've been back a few times tho and going again next month, but it's day & night different.

Getting to either from San Diego is a challenge I know with overnight flights almost a given, you have good cold water diving to enjoy up and down your own coast, but as far as fares go - Roatan costs a lot more than Coz, and it you insist on traveling less than 12 hours each way then you'll pay even more for either. I gripe that I have to pay more than anyone else from the Texas panhandle, but if I want to go, then I pay & go.