June 27, 2016
Hawaii Gov. David Ige says he intends to veto a bill that would allow Airbnb, HomeAway, VRBO and other alternative accommodations companies to act as tax brokers on behalf of the state, saying there could be unintended consequences. “We believe there could be unintended consequences of this proposed measure,” Ige said in a statement. “Vacation rentals fall under the city’s jurisdiction. In order for this bill to work as intended, counties must more actively enforce their own laws on vacation rentals before they claim additional tax revenues.” The governor’s reference was to the City and County’s crackdown on illegal vacation rentals on Oahu. The city’s Department of Planning and Permitting earlier this year hired five people to work on enforcing city laws on transient vacation rental activity, issuing 40 notices of violation during the first quarter alone, compared to 35 notices for all of 2015….
Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/news/2016/06/27/hawaii-governor-to-veto-airbnb-tax-broker-bill.html
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