Rulings Threaten Expedia, Rivals With Paying Millions in Damages | wsj.com

Expedia Inc. and other online travel companies could be forced to pay millions in damages and uncollected taxes, under recent state court rulings in Georgia and Washington state. The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled Monday that Expedia must pay the city of Columbus, Ga., an occupancy tax based on the room rate paid by customers online, not just the wholesale price the company pays to hotels. The amount owed to Columbus will be determined by a trial court.