(TAN): Airbnb has announced that they are committed to partnering with governments and help their community pay their fair share of hotel and tourist taxes. By the end of this year, they will reach a landmark cumulative USD 2 billion in tourist-related taxes that have been collected and remitted to local governments on behalf of their global host community over the past four years, the company said.
Over 400 agreements with local, state, territorial and national governments around the world have streamlined and facilitated tax collection for hosts, most of whom are sharing their homes for extra income and may not be equipped for complex accounting processes. Voluntary Tax Collection agreements are in place in jurisdictions in the US, Canada, Latin America and Europe.
[ALSO READ: British Airways to launch six new European routes from Heathrow in 2020]
In the US, Airbnb collects tourist taxes on behalf of hosts in thousands of jurisdictions. In practical terms, 72 percent of bookings made for Airbnb listings in the US are already covered by collection and remittance of tourism or hotel taxes — that’s almost three in every four reservations.
Airbnb is collecting these taxes in nearly every top US city, including Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, among others. And the company is committed to increase this number, including by supporting legislation in New York that would permit collection and remittance of this tax.
[ALSO READ: ITB Berlin Convention 2020 to focus on smart tourism]
Many cities in Europe are also covered, including Amsterdam, Florence, Lisbon and Milan, amongst other cities. In France, tax collection now covers over 28,000 cities. As an industry leader in this kind of tax collection, Airbnb has simplified the process for hosts and guests while supporting revenue generation for thousands of small and medium cities.
While home sharing democratizes tourism revenue among locals who would not have otherwise participated in this industry, Airbnb works to actively support these agreements that in turn generate significant funds for cities and states.
