Airbnb agrees to pay bed tax
Cooperating with local regulators, home rental website Airbnb has agreed to pay San Francisco’s 14% hotel tax, a week after the company said it would begin collecting hotel taxes in Portland.
Airbnb’s head of global public policy, David Hantman, said the company is still “working on some operational details” but the aim is to start collecting taxes by the summer.
“We have repeatedly said that we believe our community in San Francisco should pay its fair share of taxes,” he said in a blog post. However, he was quick to note the company doesn’t necessarily agree with local regulators about what taxes are owed. “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,” he added.
That said, Airbnb does have plans to become a global hospitality brand that can provide end-to-end services beyond lodging for travellers, such as airport transportation. Airbnb is reportedly in advanced funding talks that could value the startup at $10 billion, higher than Wyndham Worldwide and Hyatt Hotels
