Who are the richest people in town? Here's a hint: Every dime they have is disposable income.

The answer is tourists. And they increasingly are the victims of the soak-the-rich mentality that has resurfaced with a vengeance in a time in which politicians are looking for ways to accomplish the paradoxical tasks of raising revenues, expanding government services and keeping voters from taking to the streets in rage. Taxing tourists looks like the fabled silver bullet to elected officials.

The latest episode is in New York City, where Mayor Michael Bloomberg has just signed into law a new measure that deals with booking hotel rooms over the Internet. It seems some online travel services have been buying hotel rentals wholesale, and then charging tourists the bed tax at the retail rate, with the bookers pocketing the difference. City officials see the new law as a way to put an end to the practice.

It's unclear what the effect of the new law will be. Some booking agents will now be paying more taxes, but will they keep their booking rates the same or raise prices on travelers to cover their "losses?"

Regardless, the city's new policy brings into daylight a practice that New York and heaven knows how many other cites have copied from despotic governments from way back -- taxing people who have no electoral voice to fight back. Taxation without representation, I believe it's called.

Although there is a dearth of survey data on the effects of bed tax hikes on tourism, New York City officials say the new law will bring in a bunch of new revenue.

They're probably right, at least in the short term. So how, you might ask, does this square with the notion that economic growth runs in inverse proportion to tax rates? Put another way, why wouldn't more and more tourists stay home if bed taxes keep rising? Continued...