Re:The Rise of the Professional Airbnb Investor
by yummyfajitas on Sunday February 19, 2017 @08:55AM
(#13679689)
...why should to tourists get to come in and freeload off all the nice things paid for by those taxes?
For the same reason retirees should not be permitted to move into a city funded by income taxes.
In the US, far more cities are funded by property taxes than income taxes. NYC and Yonkers are the only cities I can think of with an income tax.
Re:The Rise of the Professional Airbnb Investor
by JoeAltmaier on Sunday February 19, 2017 @08:51AM
(#13679665)
Tourists spend out of proportion to local citizens? Most towns welcome tourism, even advertise for it. I'm guessing its because businesses thrive, tax revenues rise, and the community prospers.
Re:The Rise of the Professional Airbnb Investor
by golergka on Sunday February 19, 2017 @09:06AM
(#13679743)
Wait, it seems I don't know something here. Do people in US or wherever pay income taxes to local authorities and not to central federal government?
Re:The Rise of the Professional Airbnb Investor
by tacostakohashi on Sunday February 19, 2017 @09:16AM
(#13679791)
Yes. It varies (hugely) from on place to another, but typically there is a state income tax, and also sales taxes and property taxes that go variously to the city, county, or possibly state. It's quite possible that a person might pay, say, 1/3 of their taxes to these non-federal entities.
The citizens, who live and work in attractive city, pay hefty taxes to make the whole thing possible - running the public transport, collecting the garbage, keeping the running water and sewage operating.
Obviously taxation policies and city budgets vary a lot from place to place, but it's very common for these things to be funded by income taxes on the citizens salaries - which is fine with the citizens, but then why should to tourists get to come in and freeload off all the nice things paid for by those taxes?
In a parallel universe where all these services were paid for by taxes on property values or rents, I would agree with you - whoever wants to pay the most per night can have it, but in the real world the market is already skewed to start with.