Airbnb to collect room taxes in Green Bay

Airbnb has agreed with Green Bay to collect and remit the city’s 10 percent room tax for all of its Green Bay hosts — the second such pact in the state.

Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt authorized this agreement, which he says is seen as “an opportunity for visitors to our community and as a revenue source for the city of Green Bay.”

The San Francisco-based company, which lets people rent a variety of accommodations around the world, expects at least $55,000 in taxes to come from this deal. It’s the second so far in the state, following a similar agreement with Madison earlier this year.

The agreement will go into effect Aug.1, about a month before the start of the NFL regular season.

“Home sharing is already infusing significant economic development for Green Bay by expanding lodging capacity during Packer games and other big weekends,” said Laura Spanjian, Airbnb Midwest policy director.

Behind Madison and Milwaukee, Green Bay is the third largest market for Airbnb in the state.

There are 130 active Airbnb hosts in Green Bay and the typical host earns $4,700 annually, according to a release. The average listing in the city is rented for 1.5 days a month; about 39 percent of the listings in Green Bay are for unused rooms in a host’s home.

And in 2016, 3,500 guests used Airbnb in the city, a growth of 155 percent year-over-year.

A Green Bay search on the Airbnb marketplace brings up 248 results, with an average rating of 4.9 stars out of 5 with 312 reviews. The average price per night to stay in Green Bay is $224.

All in all, Airbnb says Green Bay hosts earned $603,000 in 2016.

Earlier in July, Airbnb had announced a statewide tax agreement with the Wisconsin Department of Revenue letting the company handle taxes collected at the state level.

Airbnb originally came on the scene in 2008; its marketplace now lists rental options in over 65,000 cities and 191 countries. It’s had over 160 million guests and offers — among its millions of other options for rent — more than 1,400 castles.

–By Alex Moe
WisBusiness.com