In article ,
wrote:
On Mon, 20 Feb 2006 13:44:40 -1000, (Mark O. Polo)
wrote:

the various business groups that frequent them. NCL here has an
advantage in that passengers participating in a bona fide business
meeting/conference/workshop can take advantage of a tax writeoff
inasmuch as NCL America is a legal American cruise entity.

Hi Mark & Kurt,

To expand on this point, there is a specific provision in the US tax
code that prevents business conferences that are held on "foreign
flag" ships from being used as a business deduction. This deduction
is allowed on US flagged ships such as Cruise West, NCL, Delta Queen,
etc. The foreign flag cruise lines would love for this provision to
be changed but have not been successful so far.


This is about the only real exclusion for foreign tax deductions,
too. While there are restrictions of tax deductions for foreign
meetings, they are so shot full of loopholes as to be just about
non-existant. Unlike the pretty straight forward ban on ships.
I may have to dig around to see the genesis of this. Probably an
interesting story of some Congresscritter deciding someone was
having fun on Uncle Sugar's dime (g).

--
"Distracting a politician from governing is like distracting a bear from eating your baby."
--PJ O'Rourke