VRMA Administrator
Up to 14 Colorado municipalities and counties will ask voters to raise or retool taxes on short-term rental properties to help pay for affordable housing. "This is about finding the right balance point," said Summit County Commissioner Tamara Pogue. "We need to regain that balance between the number of short-term rentals and long-term rentals." For example, the city of Aspen wants to assess an additional 5 percent to 10 percent lodging tax on short-term rentals depending on whether the property is owner-occupied, which would increase the tax up to 21.3 percent. This could generate more than $9 million a year, with 70 percent channeled into affordable housing and 30 percent into infrastructure maintenance and repair and environment programs. Voters in at least nine communities will mull using lodging taxes for affordable housing. The towns of Winter Park and Breckenridge took a unique approach to short-term rental regulation by offering cash to property owners who rented to locals instead.
The Journal (CO) (10/25/22) Jason Blevins
