The Pennsylvania House today advanced Wednesday a bill that would require online booking sites, such as Airbnb and Home Away, to register with the Department of Revenue to facilitate hotel tax collection.
The bill, introduced by Rep. Doyle Heffley (R-Carbon), aims to enable counties and state government to collect hotel occupancy fees from patrons better and create consistency between rules for traditional and online platforms.
“House Bill 1810 doesn’t impose new taxes,” Heffley said. “Rather, it puts all businesses in the lodging industry on equal footing by ensuring online rental services pay the same taxes their traditional competitors already pay.”
This bill was the result of discussions with county officials and the county treasurer’s office. The Pocono Mountain Vacation Bureau, County Commissioners Association of PA, and the Restaurant and Lodging Association of Pennsylvania support the legislation.
“It’s not fair to hard-working Pennsylvanians who follow the laws to now have to compete with Silicon Valley-based multi-national companies that are not paying the state and local taxes,” Heffley said. “Many of the business are based out of state and operate multiple properties throughout Carbon County and the Pocono region.”
The bill now heads to the Senate for further consideration.