Gulf Shores, Fairhope among plaintiffs seeking lodgings tax from top travel firms - al.com

Gulf Shores, Fairhope among plaintiffs seeking lodgings tax from top travel firms - al.com: "Nine Alabama cities, including Gulf Shores and Fairhope, have sued the nation's top online travel sites, claiming that the companies owe millions in unpaid lodging taxes.

Dozens of similar suits have been filed across the country, from Los Angeles to Lyndhurst, N.J., with mixed results. At the heart of the disputes is whether the companies, which include Orbitz, Expedia and Priceline.com, owe taxes on the difference between the price that they charge their customers for rooms and the amount the hotels are paid."