Beginning in February, Airbnb will start collecting and remitting taxes on behalf of those in Evanston who rent out their homes on the platform.
The home-sharing company and Evanston announced the tax agreement Thursday. Evanston’s hotel and vacation rental tax is 7.5 percent.
“Our hosts want to pay their fair share, and we want to help,” said Will Burns, Illinois policy director for Airbnb, in a statement. “Our Evanston host community provides a tremendous service to the City by allowing more visitors to stay in Evanston and spend money with local businesses. This tax agreement will only enhance the economic impact by delivering a brand new revenue stream for the City.”
Since launching in 2008, Airbnb has partnered with more than 350 local governments throughout the country to collect and remit taxes, including the city of Chicago and three other suburbs. Airbnb has hosts in more than 65,000 cities across 191 countries.
According to Airbnb, if they book the same number of reservations in 2018 as they did in 2017, Evanston would receive $83,000 in taxes from the company’s reservations.
“Home sharing allows even more visitors to stay in our community, patronize local businesses, and experience all that Evanston has to offer," said Evanston Mayor Stephen Hagerty in a statement. "I'm pleased that Airbnb has made it easy for hosts to share their homes while also contributing to the tax base and the vitality of Evanston.”
