Airbnb in milwaukee

Airbnb and its 3,900 Wisconsin hosts are calling on Gov. Scott Walker to issue a line-item veto of a last-minute provision in the state budget that would allow for bans of home sharing stays under seven days.

Here's the statement from Laura, Spanjian, Airbnb’s Midwest policy director:

“This harmful provision was slipped into the budget in the dead of night, without a single hearing or opportunity for public comment. The private property rights and economic lifelines of thousands of middle class Wisconsin families are now hanging in the balance thanks to this backroom deal. This is not representative government — it’s simply bad policy."

She added, "Allowing this secretive proposal to become law would significantly harm Wisconsin’s standing as a hub for pro-growth, pro-tourism and pro-property rights policies. We strongly urge the governor to issue a line-item veto so that all stakeholders can come to the table in good faith and partner towards reasonable home sharing regulations that work for all of Wisconsin.”

Some background from Airbnb:

• There have been 178,000 Airbnb guest arrivals to Wisconsin in the past year and 94 percent of those trips have been under seven days.

• 3,900 Wisconsin residents actively share their homes on Airbnb.

• The typical Airbnb Wisconsin host earns $4,700 a year in supplemental income through home sharing.

• Wisconsin Airbnb hosts earned $13 million in supplemental income through Airbnb in 2016.

Airbnb, in a news release, said it proactively pursues tax agreements with states and municipalities that allow the platform to collect and remit taxes on behalf of its local hosts.

In March, Airbnb announced an agreement with Madison to collect and remit the Madison transient occupancy tax.

And in June, Airbnb announced an agreement with the state of Wisconsin to collect and remit the state sales tax, as well as a number of local taxes.

Also, in July, Airbnb announced an agreement with Green Bay to collect and remit the Green Bay room tax.

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