STAYZ/EXPEDIA: ‘THERE’S ALWAYS WAYS OF GETTING AROUND PAYING TAXATION’
Yesterday we reported that Eacham Curry, Director, Expedia/Stayz/HomeAway Corporate and Government Affairs had conducted an Australian Government Relations webinar for their corporate operators.
Listeners can decide from Mr Curry intonation whether he is coaching…there are ways to circumvent government-imposed regulations and Taxation law. Listen: 39:50 minutes onwards. Mr Curry:
“…There are ‘night caps’ that operate in different parts of the world…we’ve got the facilities and the technology built to actually assist Governments who have imposed night caps in such a way as to be able to record that, and I think you’d probably be able to understand, I mean when you’ve used our platforms you can see how things are booked and what’s available to be seen and what’s not available. It’s not too hard to rejig things in such a way to be (sic) actually be able to record that information so that it can be policed too a bit. Now if somebody wanted to try and get around it, well there’s always ways to do that, I mean there are ways to getting…ah, paying taxation as well, but it eventually catches up with you which is the unfortunate thing. So there are ways to deal with it, it can be policed, we wouldn’t seek to try and break the law if that was imposed, although we continue to impress on Government that it is the wrong solution to address the concerns that they think there are about the impact of our sector…”
One current NSW State MP has her short-term rental listed across some 75+ online platforms. We know of other MPs whose properties were on 150+ platforms. One contests there is no way to track and enforce a system of ‘night caps’.
There is anger and frustration aplenty circulating on social media amongst those using the Airbnb and Stayz platforms. Operators never acknowledge that “their Industry” is corporatizing housing stock…with Marriott Hotels the latest to enter the housing domain. Perhaps NSW and Australian Legislators could follow the lead of St Louis, where short-term rental operators are to pay increased taxes after the city reclassifies their residential properties as commercial operations.
Homes not Hotels Communities not Transit Zones
People before Profits Neighbours not Strangers
