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Your comment seems to be a popular one on this issue since most people immediately compare Airbnb to hotels. Once they realize Airbnb doesn't have to do somethi

Your comment seems to be a popular one on this issue since most people immediately compare Airbnb to hotels. Once they realize Airbnb doesn't have to do something hotels do, like pay hotel taxes, they come to the conclusion that Airbnb should play by the same rules and regulation as everyone else in the hotel industry. However, I would argue that the better approach is to question the mere existence of the hotel tax. The question today seems to be, "Why doesn't Airbnb have to pay a tax all hotels in NYC have to pay?" The better question is, "Should hotel taxes exist in the first place?"

DanBC 13y ago
People care more about suitable insurance; zoning; prevention of nuisance; fire doors and extinguishers; and other safety features.
cantankerous 13y ago
> The better question is, "Should hotel taxes exist in the first place?" That question has already been put to the local electorate, and they seem to be happy enough with the status quo. Taxing hotels is a way for a locale to generate revenue from tourism. In this case, New York has something visitors want, and it wants to charge them for it. I don't see anything wrong with this. If you don't want to pay New York's Hotel taxes, don't go there.
- billmalarky 13y ago
  It's not like the city is just being greedy either. City maintenance is outrageous in NYC and tourists benefit from the city infrastructure while they are here.
metaphorm 13y ago
Hotel taxes exist for legitimate reasons. This hasn't been a contentious issue for conventional hotels, ever. The industry has an unusually large impact on public infrastructure. Hotel guests use all the commons and public facilities of the city just the same as residents do, but they don't pay the taxes that residents do to fund those commons and facilities. The Hotel tax exists to help with this problem.

DanBC 13y ago

People care more about suitable insurance; zoning; prevention of nuisance; fire doors and extinguishers; and other safety features.

cantankerous 13y ago

> The better question is, "Should hotel taxes exist in the first place?" That question has already been put to the local electorate, and they seem to be happy enough with the status quo. Taxing hotels is a way for a locale to generate revenue from tourism. In this case, New York has something visitors want, and it wants to charge them for it. I don't see anything wrong with this. If you don't want to pay New York's Hotel taxes, don't go there.

billmalarky 13y ago
It's not like the city is just being greedy either. City maintenance is outrageous in NYC and tourists benefit from the city infrastructure while they are here.

metaphorm 13y ago

Hotel taxes exist for legitimate reasons. This hasn't been a contentious issue for conventional hotels, ever. The industry has an unusually large impact on public infrastructure. Hotel guests use all the commons and public facilities of the city just the same as residents do, but they don't pay the taxes that residents do to fund those commons and facilities. The Hotel tax exists to help with this problem.