Many hotels say the phone surcharges cover huge demands on telephone systems as more laptop-toting guests spend hours on the phone checking e-mail or going online.
He added: "The Government's decision to ban 'rip-off' debit and credit card surcharges is a huge victory for consumers.
The government remains committed to helping consumers get a good deal in these difficult times".Richard Lloyd, executive director of Which?, said: "The government's decision to ban 'rip-off' debit and credit card surcharges is a huge victory for consumers.
But that show instituted the surcharge only after it was a huge hit.
Last year the chief minister of Chhattisgarh, a state where Maoists have a huge presence, pressed India's central government for a 10% surcharge on mining profits so that impoverished rural areas could be developed and people discouraged from joining the rebels.
FedEx, a huge consumer of aviation fuel as well as gasoline, has added a 4percentt surcharge to its rates.
The program is financed by a surcharge on all homeowner and commercial insurance policies, but because of the potential for huge liabilities in a future storm, the program might fall short of the money it would need.
A further issue is the huge increases in fuel prices that have pushed some full-service carriers like British Airways, Air France and KLM to impose surcharges on ticket prices.
The surcharges they impose on their rates are higher and stick better, and such companies buy huge amounts of fuel at a discounted price, averaging $1.50 a gallon, said Dan England, the chief executive.
