Cape Selectmen and Councilors Association Asks House Speaker to Support AirBnB Tax

YARMOUTH – The Cape Cod and Islands Selectmen and Councilors Association has asked State House Speaker Robert DeLeo to support the so-called AirBnB tax.

The legislation would regulate and tax all short-term rentals, not just hotels, motels and bed and breakfast establishments.

The group sent a letter to DeLeo earlier this month, which followed a similar letter sent by the Cape Cod Town Managers and Administrators Association last month.  

The Association, which includes town officials from across the Cape, are seeking the same regulations and taxes for all short-term rentals, whether they’re houses or condos, in the manner of current occupancy tax provisions of state general laws.

“This letter was in support of the legislation that has been talked about but no action has really been taken on Beacon Hill,” said Yarmouth Selectmen Chair Tracy Post, who is also the Association’s President.

The major concern for the towns is that the expanding use of units used for short-term rentals is placing an increasing strain on their ability to provide housing for both the year-round and seasonal workforce.

The Association also cites that Cape towns need additional revenue sources to undertake the several billion dollar investment in waste water systems.

“This is a way for, in my mind, to take the burden off of the local taxpayers and fairly distribute it to our visitors,” said Post.

At the Association’s meeting last June, members voted to support and endorse enacting an expansion of the current room occupancy tax and regulation systems that’s currently in effect for other short-term rentals.

By JUSTIN SAUNDERS, CapeCod.com Newscenter

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