Chamber Report on Airbnb & Hotel Taxes to Putnam County Legislature Economic Committee

Image Courtesy of: Airbnb

On Tuesday, February 18, the Putnam County Legislature’s Economic & Energy Committee met to discuss short-term rentals in private homes, such as Airbnb, and the possibility of implementing a room tax on hospitality services.

Nancy Montgomery, Philipstown’s legislator, who sits on the Economic & Energy Committee, had invited the Cold Spring Chamber of Commerce to participate in the conversation and asked us to provide the committee with any information we had gathered during our research and forums on the topic. The Chamber board prepared a report of our findings. The report emphasizes the benefits of residential hospitality services but notes that without regulation they can create problems. It recommends that local officials create common sense laws that legalize such services while regulating and taxing them in a way that prevents them from degrading local communities, reducing the residential housing stock, or competing unfairly with hotels. From the Chamber, Eliza Starbuck, president, and Nat Prentice, vice president, attended the meeting and presented the report.

A recording of the meeting is available here.