AIRBNB Debate heats up

[Reggaedoc]

It is not killing the Air B&B industry. The people who are feeling it the hardest are the small hoteliers who have have under 20 rooms who have to pay this tax.

I am not sure how much the cess is but it is been charged from 2016 based on what is reported and it hasn't affected the industry. You want the industry list in database, registered and monitored. God forbid people start have chink and bed bugs or anything similar to what happen at DR not so long ago. I certainly is not thinking of any draconian taxes, at the same time the government need to promote Air B&B too as part of that drive,

You talk about the taxes collected are needed to provide services, so a man with an AB and B thing in Portland shouls pay taxes to fix roads in St. James?. The roads in Portland look like any taxes spend on them?.

[Bricktop]

let's simpify this...if AirBNB folded up today would people stop renting homes/rooms in Jamaica from online brokers?

[Reggaedoc]

let's simpify this...if AirBNB folded up today would people stop renting homes/rooms in Jamaica from online brokers?

Yes!!!..Many sure would. If Jamaica goes belly up tomorrow would people stop going to the Caribbean as tourists?.

[Assasin]

Com on man. I don't think I mention fixing road in any of my post. However Air B&B have to be monitored and make sure they are up to standard, whether they are in St. James or Portland.

[Bricktop]

we were belly up in the 90's...yet our tourism product continued expanding...actually when we are in economic decline it's cheaper for tourists to vacation here...so there goes that theory

[Reggaedoc]

Com on man. I don't think I mention fixing road in any of my post. However Air B&B have to be monitored and make sure they are up to standard, whether they are in St. James or Portland.

So what would you do with the taxes from AB andB?. To deliver a tourisr product to tourists what is the first bit of infrastruture that is required before light and water?. Its road s Sass. So much so that if a hotel company expresses a desire to build a hotel in any part of your country, and this is not only Jamaica, the first thing they demand from the gov is road to access their property. So whether or not you want to mebtion it is irrelevant. I am mentioning it. Agaun my question to you is "Should the AB and B operator in SanSan Portland pay taxes 9nly for most if not all of it to be used to widen the road in Barbican and Ironshore?. Lookt at the roads in Portland, a so called tourist area. I have seen better roads in rural Equatorial Guinea. So I dont care one bit if you want to mention road.

[Assasin]

Road is not the number one thing that is needed for Air B&B in my book. Strengthen tourism community things so the little man on the street can make a money, fixup public beach, provide better security and make sure the Air B&B are up to standard (notice you don't comment on that). That come to a cost to government. Road fixing I would say come from government, parish council, and TEF.

[Reggaedoc]

Road is not the number one thing that is needed for Air B&B in my book. Strengthen tourism community things so the little man on the street can make a money, fixup public beach, provide better security and make sure the Air B&B are up to standard (notice you don't comment on that). That come to a cost to government. Road fixing I would say come from government, parish council, and TEF.

Ok. So you fix up Winifred beach. How do you get there Sass?. Swim from Norman Manley Airport?.

[Reggaedoc]

Road is not the number one thing that is needed for Air B&B in my book. Strengthen tourism community things so the little man on the street can make a money, fixup public beach, provide better security and make sure the Air B&B are up to standard (notice you don't comment on that). That come to a cost to government. Road fixing I would say come from government, parish council, and TEF.

Comment on what Sass?

[Reggaedoc]

Comment on what Sass?

Making sure that AB and B operators meet their standard should be the prerogative of AB and B and not the government. The government's job is to make sure the building meets occupancy and safety standards.

[Assasin]

It is Air B&B but destination Jamaica. You don't want avoidable stuff happening. That is one of the reason they had that MOU in 2016

[Assasin]

Actually they are working on the Junction Road and hopefully start St.Thomas soon.

The money from Air B&B wouldn't be enough to do major road projects but it could do a lot of community related projects.

[Assasin]

In the late 1980 I had written two letters to the editor on tourism. This has inspired me to do another. I will share it when I am finished.

[Sir X]

You are a brave man, thats all I can say.

[Jangle]

Bartlett denies considering Airbnb tax
Monday, July 08, 2019
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Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has denied that his ministry is involved in discussions on taxing local Airbnb providers.

Bartlett has, however, indicated that there have been discussions about an “administrative charge” applied to Airbnb, which they will pay over to the Government.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...3?profile=1373