ASTA Details 2022 Election Impact on Travel Advisors

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) just lately caught its members on top of things on what the 2022 midterm election outcomes imply for the business and journey advisors’ companies transferring ahead.

In an in depth evaluation despatched out final week, ASTA highlighted some key outcomes and essential updates concerning pertinent gadgets such because the Worker Retention Tax Credit score Reinstatement (ERTC), the Go to America Act, Division of Transportation (DOT) rulemakings, impartial contractor insurance policies and FAA reauthorization. This got here on the heels of the group’s preliminary post-election member replace on November 10.

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The Democrats will retain management of the Senate whereas Republicans will management the Home. “Whereas this represents a significant change within the stability of energy in Washington, understand that President Biden retains full management of the federal forms and any payments handed by the Republican-controlled Home would should be handed by the Democratic-led Senate (and vice versa) and signed by the President to grow to be legislation,” ASTA reminds its members.

Regarding the ERTC and Go to America Act, ASTA believes they will require an even bigger “car” to connect themselves to to be able to get via Congress. “ERTC is a heavy carry given ‘spending fatigue’ after trillions spent to reply to COVID-19 and associated inflation considerations,” the affiliation acknowledged. In reference to the latter, ASTA notes that this “laws doesn’t meaningfully impression the federal finances, in our view it stands a greater probability of passage earlier than the top of the 12 months than does ERTC reinstatement.”

ASTA additionally predicts that last motion on the FAA reauthorization invoice will seemingly be pushed into 2024. Within the meantime, ASTA will proceed to prioritize issues comparable to shopper refunds, ancillary charges and efforts to cut back the regulatory burden on journey advisors who promote air tickets.

Journey advisors can go to ASTA.org/Advocacy to be taught extra and keep within the know.

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