O Keefe, Emmett-Booking Holdings Inc
April 15, 2021 The Honorable John Fonfara The Honorable Sean Scanlon Chairman Chairman Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee Legislative Office Building, Room 3700 Legislative Office Building, Room 3700 Hartford, CT 06106 Hartford, CT 06106 The Honorable Henri Martin The Honorable Holly Cheeseman Ranking Member Ranking Member Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee Legislative Office Building, Room 3700 Legislative Office Building, Room 3700 Hartford, CT 06106 Hartford, CT 06106 Dear Chairmen Fonfara and Scanlon, Ranking Members Martin and Cheeseman: I am writing on behalf of Booking Holdings Inc. (“Booking”), a leading provider of online travel services headquartered in Norwalk. Booking operates through several subsidiary brands, two of which are Priceline.com LLC (“Priceline”), headquartered in Norwalk, and KAYAK Software Corporation (“KAYAK”), headquartered in Stamford. Booking respectfully opposes Section 5 of S.B. 1106 which would create a new tax on digital advertising. The harm to consumers and Connecticut businesses vastly outweighs any benefits and we urge the committee to please reject any new tax on advertising, especially during a time when so many are trying to recover from the devastation caused by the ongoing pandemic. The Booking brands include Priceline, KAYAK, Booking.com, Agoda.com, Rentalcars.com and OpenTable. Together, Booking serves consumers, accommodations, restaurants and other travel partners in more than 220 countries and territories throughout the world. Booking has thousands of employees, many of whom live and work in Connecticut. Every day, millions of consumers search Priceline, KAYAK and the other Booking brands to compare and reserve hotel rooms, flights, rental cars and tables at restaurants.
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