Legislation introduced in the California state senate this week seeks to ensure that people renting out homes or rooms on sites like AirBnB pay visitor taxes on those rentals.More than 400 cities and 55 counties in California allow residents to rent out part or all of their homes and levy a transit occupancy tax on those rentals.
But payment is sporadic and municipalities often have no way of knowing who in their community should be paying the tax.Senate Bill 593 would require operators of vacation rental services like AirBnB to report to local authorities the location of the residences, the number of nights they were occupied by visitors and the amount paid for the rentals. Cities could then use that information to ensure they get the taxes they’re owed.
