Dear Editor
What does Frank Norman mean when he states that Airbnb should be promoted, not taxed? (Inbox, Burnaby NOW, July 27). Airbnb in already being promoted through the organization Airbnb, as well as listings on Craigslist, so let’s call this what it is, a business, and as a business, any revenue derived from this activity should be taxed in two ways. First by insuring the owner of these businesses has a business licence that is required for all businesses. Secondly, there needs to be checks and balances in place to insure that the individual owners of these properties are declaring this income on their tax returns, which is required by the Income Tax Act.
Why should these property owners be permitted to operate what amounts to a hotel business and be able to get away with doing so, in the underground economy, which is a huge problem in this country.
Not only is Airbnb a business, but in many cases it is displacing legitimate renters and replacing those long-term renters with short-term guests, commanding premium rates, which I’m sure many of these property owners are just pocketing and not declaring this revenue as income.
In a market where affordable rental stock is dwindling, let’s call Airbnb what it really is, greed. If this is what these property owners want to do with their properties, then do it legally, by first checking to see if their neighborhood is properly zoned, then apply for a business licence to operate a hospitality business, and after that is done legally, pay taxes on that income.
Wayne McQueen, Burnaby
