Legislation moving through the Massachusetts Legislature would implement the same tax on short-term rentals that already applies to hotels. Local jurisdictions would also be free to implement their own taxes on short-term rentals under the law.
"Long-debated rules governing short-term rentals in Massachusetts took a step closer to passage Wednesday, when the Senate approved a bill setting up new taxes for the booming industry," reports Tim Logan.
The bill "would extend the 5.7 percent state hotel tax to include short-term rentals" and "allow cities and towns to levy taxes of their own."
Both Airbnb and the Massachusetts Lodging Association have both criticized the bill, though for different reasons.
Read the full story: Taxes on Boston’s short-term rentals move closer to reality
LA Officials Struggle to Enforce Short-Term Rental Rules
Hundreds of rent-controlled units are being illegally rented out as short-term rentals, pushing out long-term renters and exacerbating the city’s housing crisis.
Proposed Short-Term Rental Tax Would Fund Affordable Housing in California
A state bill would impose a tax similar to a hotel tax on short-term rental owners, with the revenue funding affordable housing projects.
New Short-Term Rental Rules to Take Effect in Philadelphia
The new rules are an attempt to get a handle on the short-term rental industry, which, due in part to little enforcement of existing regulations, has yielded ‘bad actors.’
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland
Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.
How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on
The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.
MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court
The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority