Airbnb to charge tax on San Francisco rentals
As the traditional hotel industry ups the pressure for more regulation in the sharing rental market, Airbnb has agreed to collect and remit taxes directly on behalf of hosts in its home base of San Francisco.
This follows a similar decision last week to begin collecting $21 million in taxes in New York City.
Writing in a blog post on the company’s website, David Hantman, Airbnb’s Head of Global Public Policy said Airbnb will launch the tax collection program later this summer.
Taxes would be calculated based on the cost of accommodation and automatically deducted during the booking process.
The company says it does not agree that Airbnb hosts should be defined as hotels for tax purposes, but will still adhere to local tax rules.
In San Francisco, current occupancy tax for hotels is 14%.
"Our hosts are not hotels, and most of these tax laws were not designed for them, but whether or not we agree with the tax laws, we want to help our hosts follow the rules," Hantman wrote.
He also called some of the tax rules "arcane and difficult to follow."
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025