Judge denies Hawaii’s move to get Airbnb host records
HONOLULU — A judge on Thursday denied Hawaii’s move to compel Airbnb to hand over a decade of vacation rental receipts as the state examines whether hosts have been paying the equivalent of hotel and sales taxes.
Hawaii First Circuit Court Judge James Ashford said the state did not sufficiently show that Airbnb users may have failed to comply with tax laws.
In addition, the state did not establish that the information wasn’t available from other sources, he said. Hawaii wants the records to find out which hosts have not been paying taxes involving their vacation rental and bed-and-breakfast listings.
Many Hawaii vacation rentals are operated illegally, making tax collection more challenging. In Hawaii, the necessary permits for short-term rentals are issued by counties which have varying regulations. Honolulu, the most populous county, has not issued new permits since 1989. It’s estimated to have 800 legal vacation rental and bed-and-breakfast units and about 10 times as many illegal ones.