Airbnb Starts Collecting Hotel Tax In Portland— San Francisco Likely To Be Next
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— Airbnb began collecting hotel taxes Tuesday for all of its reservations in Portland, Oregon and is expected to soon do the same in San Francisco.
City supervisors said the 14-percent hotel tax coming in from the home-sharing rental website would bring in millions of dollars in new revenue. Airbnb has already agreed to pay the tax.
Residents who make money sharing through the site are finding it harder to fly under the radar. Landlords are complaining about lease violations, neighbors about strangers and the city about unpaid hotel tax.
"The laws are being broken every single day. Most people understand that we need a different approach. The current system is not working," said Supervisor David Chiu said.
He's introduced legislation to regulate how, where and when housing shares are okay with the goal of helping working families pay the rent, students get away for summer and workers who might be on business trips in mind. Chiu even noted it could be used to help seniors who might have a spare room in their house.
Airbnb produced a study that said its service has generated $56 million in positive economic impact for San Francisco. Others say it's also hurt the hotel industry and contributed to the City's housing shortage.