Airbnb wants to pay tourism taxes
In a gesture of goodwill, the online platform Airbnb has defended itself against accusations that its business model is exacerbating the housing crisis and depriving cities around the world of tax revenue.
The subletting platform announced on its website on Wednesday that it wanted to pay its "fair share" of taxes from the hotel and tourism industry and introduce new rules when offering accommodation. "We need to clarify what we don't accept," explained Airbnb co-founder Brian Chesky. According to Airbnb, providers will in future have to prove on the website that the accommodation is their primary residence and that it is only being sublet for a limited period of time. At the same time, the company also wants to clarify with the relevant authorities how second homes that are only occupied temporarily can be rented out for a short period of time. Airbnb also promised to help cities to "efficiently collect taxes from the hotel and tourism industry".
In addition, the company wants to provide cities with anonymized data on the use of its service in the future, such as the number of bookings, the location of popular accommodation or the prices charged by providers. Airbnb also wants to draw attention to the economic contribution it makes to cities and how providers have sometimes been saved from evictions by using the platform, as they were able to pay their own rent or real estate loans through the income from subletting.Airbnb promises cities payment of tourism taxes San Francisco (SDA)
