AirBNB: An Idea Whose Time Has Come

Most folks have followed the Uber saga between free marketeers and the whip-and-buggy cabbie industry.  AirBNB is another of these creatures, only that the entrenched interests seem to have deeper pockets and better connections than cab drivers.

Your chart of doom (if you’re a hotel):

airbnb-infographic

 

For those not familiar, AirBNB allows a homeowner to “rent” a room of their home.  Win/win/win for everyone, right?  As a homeowner, I get extra cash.  As someone looking for a cheap vacation, you get a great room at a decent price.  As a locality?  Extra tax revenue.  BOOM.

Who loses?  Hotels, of course… and any locality looking to expand their tax base.  So the crackdown begins, with localities creating an uneven standard across Virginia as to what is and what is not kosher.

To the rescue?  Two bills: SB416 and HB812 that will not only standardize the rules across Virginia for businesses like AirBNB, but will also make sure that AirBNB — unlike Amazon some years ago — will collectivize and pay the local and state taxes monthly.

To a locality, that’s music to their ears, as a previously untapped revenue source now comes open in full view.  After all, what does James City really care how the tax income gets into the coffers (hotel or bed and breakfast) so long as it gets there — right?

More from Richmond’s Style Weekly:

Taxes are a sticking point for other Virginia localities. Virginia Beach asked the General Assembly to address the safety and tax equity issues presented by Airbnb.

Peace says that because his bill allows only primary residences to be rented, it also would address hospitality industry concerns about competing with illegal hotels. Many Airbnb hosts who own multi-unit dwellings rent their properties, but aren’t subject to the same safety and code violations as hotels.

The bill also requires Airbnb hosts who operate over a period of 90 days or more in a calendar year to obtain a business license. It also stipulates hours when guests may receive visitors and includes clauses to honor local noise ordinances and other measures to minimize impact on the surrounding community.

It’s a pretty fair and balanced bill, one that ought to come out of committee… as in, tomorrow, when Senate Finance will be voting on it.

Tough to talk about the Virginia economy being on the cutting edge of the 21st century when we’re waging war on AirBNB and FlipKey, folks.  This is a win/win/win for just about everyone involved, and a clear sign that Virginia isn’t letting outdated laws and regulations hold back an innovation economy.

More efforts like this, please!

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