Daryo Jun 9, 2012:

a general remark it is true that sometimes you need to add "implicit" or "omitted" words to fully understand the source text. Words "too obvious to warrant the trouble of actually writing them down" are maybe not so obvious for the translator saddled with a text that makes no sense to him/her.
But it's not a reason to start assuming wider or narrower meaning when there's no need for it. If is says "transport by land", don't take the "land" bit out and widen the meaning to any form of transport, nor start guessing if it's transport by road or railway.

Germaine Jun 5, 2012:

Indeed Même dans le cas de la taxe de séjour française, on ne parle pas d'un pourcentage, mais plutôt d'un barême par personne et par nuitée ou par personne et unité d'accueil:
Taxe de séjour au réel: Le tarif ne peut être inférieur à 0,2 euro, ni supérieur à 1,5 euro, par personne et par nuitée.
http://www.taxedesejour.net/ArtL2333-30.asp
Taxe de séjour forfaitaire: ...entre 0,65 Euros et 1,50 Euros par nuitée et par unité de capacité d'accueil ;...
http://www.taxedesejour.net/ArtD2333-60.asp

Daryo Jun 5, 2012:

"HANDLE WITH CARE" I would be very cautious about assuming what exactly this “16% tax” is.

It is indeed added to a bill for a room, but it doesn’t mean that what’s being taxed is the simple fact of being the temporary resident of the city/the state where this accommodation is located, which a "taxe de séjour" is.
All that is said is that’s a tax imposed “by the government”!
Could well be a kind of “sale tax” or sort of VAT/TVA for all we know – would fit perfectly.
Also VAT is always charged as a % of the total amount; a “taxe de séjour” is on the contrary often charged per person per day, and is almost always called just that.

Germaine Jun 5, 2012:

Il faudrait savoir de quel lieu on parle Pays et le cas échéant, province. Par exemple, au Québec, un taux de 16% correspondrait grosso modo à Taxe sur l'hébergement (3%) plus le taux combiné TPS et TVQ (13,5%) ou à la taxe sur l'hébergement de 2$/jour + TPS (5% calculé taxe d'hébergement comprise)+TVQ (9,5% calculé TPS comprise). Voir, par exemple,
http://www.revenuquebec.ca/fr/entreprise/taxes/hebergement/t...
http://www.revenuquebec.ca/fr/entreprise/taxes/hebergement/f...