Jun. 13, 2018
HARRISBURG – To bring Pennsylvania’s statutes up to speed with ever-changing technology, the House today passed legislation by Rep. Doyle Heffley (R-Carbon) to require online booking sites, such as Airbnb and Home Away, to register with the Department of Revenue to ensure hotel taxes are fairly collected.
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House Bill 1810 doesn’t impose new taxes. Rather, it puts all businesses in the lodging industry on equal footing by ensuring online rental services pay the same taxes their traditional competitors already pay,” Heffley said. “It’s not fair to hard-working Pennsylvanians who follow the laws to now have to compete with Silicon Valley-based multi-national companies that are not paying the state and local taxes. Many of the business are based out of state and operate multiple properties throughout Carbon County and the Pocono region.”
This bill came about through discussions with county officials and the county treasurer’s office. The Pocono Mountain Vacation Bureau, County Commissioners Association of PA and the Restaurant and Lodging association of Pennsylvania all support this legislation.
House Bill 1810 would level the playing field for traditional and online platforms that facilitate the booking of short-term, overnight lodging to register with the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. The registration would allow counties and state government to better collect the hotel occupancy fees from patrons.
“This legislation keeps Pennsylvania on pace with changing technology that is transforming the lodging industry,” Heffley said.
The bill now goes to the full Senate for consideration.
Representative Doyle Heffley
122nd District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Greg Gross
717.260.6374
ggross@pahousegop.com
RepHeffley.com /
Facebook.com/RepHeffley