![]() Only $34,750 of the $1.8 million in hotel tax revenue came from Airbnb, Marburger said. That amount is divided between the tourism bureau and the treasurer’s office, with the majority - 96% - going to tourism. “You can put your house on there one day and tear it down the next day.”Ĭompared to the tax revenue from other more conventional hotels, Butler County receives a smaller amount from Airbnb, because the company’s presence in the county is smaller, she said.įrom January to September this year, the gross hotel tax revenue was $1,836,472. It’s like an amoeba - it changes,” Marburger said. “I can remember going out in 2014-15, going on Airbnb's website and trying to identify manually the establishments in Butler County that were renting out their homes for overnight stays. However, the tax is paid directly from the Airbnb company itself, not from the individual property owners, and Butler County does not have a list of all the rentals available at any given time. “The hotel tax is sort of your payment into the system - when someone is paying it and someone else isn’t, that’s not fair,” he said.Ĭounty Treasurer Diane Marburger explained that Airbnb voluntarily agreed to pay the hotel bed tax back in 2016, before it became mandatory in 2019 with the passage of a state law. “I do believe that it’s necessary for some of the growth in some areas (for people) to be able to use their properties in this way, but the only thing I would ask is they keep in mind that that property is generating an income, just like a business,” said county Commissioner Kevin Boozel. However, it’s sometimes unclear whether each rental is accounted for. Funds from the hotel tax benefit the county treasurer’s office and the tourism department. Keeping track of taxes can be a challenge when it comes to short-term rental companies, Cohen said.Īs Airbnb is considered a hotel operator, the company owes a 5% hotel tax to the county on rentals. “On the side streets where people live, you don’t want to be disturbed.” “Sometimes, college kids or younger kids rent these and they have a party, and it disturbs the neighborhoods. While problems with the Airbnb operation itself being disruptive are more common in larger cities, Cohen said, the issue of potential “party houses” or rowdy residents at short-term rentals is concerning. “I don’t think they’re really giving us a run for their money or anything like that, but they ought to be doing it correctly.” Some people love to stay in that kind of atmosphere,” Cohen said. “I would think that it’s an additional lodging opportunity. ![]() On the county end, some officials, such as county Tourism & Convention Bureau director Jack Cohen, think the short-term rental locations come with upsides and downsides. The move comes in the wake of an April incident in Pittsburgh, where a party held at an Airbnb became violent, and two teenagers died. Zelienople recently voted to advertise a proposed ordinance for public review that would create location restrictions for Airbnb rentals and require a $100 license. Shane Potter/Butler EagleĪs short-term rental options expand, Butler County officials approach the business opportunity with both interest and caution. One municipality in the county, Zelienople, is proposing an ordinance which would license the rentals. Airbnbs, like this one in Butler, offer travelers options.
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