The Accommodation Association of Australia (AAoA) welcomes the announcement that the Australian Tax Office (ATO) is strengthening its enforcement measures for short term rental accommodation.
Airbnb has confirmed with hosts that they are ‘legally required to share certain information with governmental authorities’ in line with the ATO data-matching program.
“The Accommodation Association and the accommodation industry have been long term advocates that the Australian Tax Office strengthen its efforts to ensure that those operators who generate an income from listing a room or property on sharing platforms, such as Airbnb, must pay their fair share of tax.” said Dean Long, CEO Accommodation Association.
“We are already seeing through our market performance data, that the economy softening that is occurring throughout the economy is having a direct impact on the prices we are able to charge and subsequently impacts the tens and thousands of people we employ. With the ATO forcing the sharing of data held by Airbnb it will ensure those people, that have not been paying tax for the last 10 years on this income, are having the spotlight turned on them.”
“We will continue to work with political leaders at State and Federal level, to extend this approach, which creates greater transparency of the unregulated sector and a fair playing field for us to compete and employ Australians.”
“It has been regional and city accommodation providers speaking directly to their local MP’s and Ministers, submissions to government and active engagement with the ATO and Commonwealth Treasury that have been critical in gaining this outcome.”
