“Before we assume that the government crackdown on Airbnb comes from genuine concern about safety, we should consider some other, less benevolent motives. First, many state and local governments have turned to hotel taxes to pad their budgets. Travelers can pay a tax up to 17 percent of the cost of their hotel room. Second, and not surprisingly, many hotels staunchly oppose Airbnb. The threat is significant. Last year The Economist magazine stated that Airbnb could reduce hotel revenues as much as 10 percent. The American Hotel & Lodging Association spent over $1 million in lobbying last year, including a variety of attempts to legally disrupt or dismantle Airbnb’s business.”
http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=7438
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