KARK reports that Airbnb, the online site facilitating short-term vacation rentals of residential properties, reached a tax agreement with the state of Arkansas yesterday.
Beginning next month, Airbnb will collect taxes on behalf of hosts and guests and remit them to the state. Compliance with tax law (and complaints about competition from current stakeholders such as hotels) has been an ongoing controversy for Airbnb in other states and municipalities across the country.
In certain prime tourist destinations, local residents have also complained that property owners are using non-owner-occupied residences essentially as Airbnb hotels — renting out entire homes for short-term vacations year round — rather than rental properties, driving up rental costs and damaging local communities. Probably a long way from that being an issue in Arkansas.
According to KARK, Airbnb says that Arkansas hosts in total earned $4 million in 2016 renting out their homes, with 34,000 guest arrivals using Airbnb over the course of the year.