House Bill Would Add Sales Tax to Vacation Home Rentals

What’s being referred to as this year’s version of the Expedia Bill is making its way through the General Assembly. House Bill-2457, sponsored by Springfield-area State Representative Sonya Anderson, would…among other things…clarify that sales and other taxes applicable to hotels and motels also apply to residential dwelling rentals. Lake Area realtor Stacy Shore says the version being proposed this year is actually worse than a similar bill which failed in 2017.

Camden County Presiding Commissioner Greg Hasty says such a law would be devastating to the Lake Area economy especially considering 71 percent of the homes in the county are owned by people who don’t live here.

Anderson’s bill has been voted do-pass in the House and was, most recently, referred to the Legislative Oversight Committee where it waits to be put on the calendar for another hearing. Shore and Hasty were guests, yesterday, on the KRMS Morning Magazine.