Airbnb’s New Hotel Tax Explained
While Airbnb’s new 14.5% “hotel tax” is sure to put a damper on tourists looking for cheap digs, city deputy chief financial officer Stephen Cordi told Urban Turf it’s actually pretty standard. The idea is that tourists should contribute toward services they use, which is why a third of the tax will go toward funding DC tourism, while the rest will go to the city’s general fund. Airbnb and the city have been ironing out the details for three months, and the new tax is set to go into effect in mid-February.