Post by High Priestess on Apr 12, 2016 9:08:18 GMT
See the article:
wisconsingazette.com/2016/04/11/charlie-sykes-editor-feuds-madison-mayor-over-airbnb/
A war of words erupted recently between Madison Mayor Paul Soglin and the editor of Charlie Sykes’ website over the regulation of Airbnb.
Soglin’s concern is about how to tax an industry that’s nearly invisible. Earlier this year, a bill was proposed in the Legislature to gut ordinances regulating such rentals in the state, including one adopted by Madison in 2013. The bill failed to pass, but it remained a threat on March 14, when Soglin announced in a press conference that he was interested in creating a new city position to track down and collect unreported room tax revenues. The City of Madison levies a room tax of 9 percent. Dane County does not levy a room tax.
That idea incensed some.
“Soglin is once again defending the status quo against an innovative new way for citizens to make a little extra money on the side,” wrote Kevin Binversie in a column posted in March on RightWisconsin.com, Sykes’ website. “Soglin seems hell-bent on trampling not just on the free market, but his citizens’ Fourth Amendment rights — all in the name of tax collection.”
Soglin replied that Binversie’s column was “clearly the work of some right-wing libertarian.”
Responding again to Soglin, Binversie, who’s RightWisconsin.com’s web editor, posted a column criticizing the mayor at length.
“Soglin believes the captured tax revenue would allow the new position to pay for itself (how wonderful!),” he wrote. “How Madison city government plans on tracking down these locations — Airbnb doesn’t publicly list addresses of rentals, only pictures, since all interactions are done via email — is anyone’s guess.”
He asked, “Will this staffer wander the streets of Madison, going door-to-door trying to match up addresses with pictures from online listings?”
wisconsingazette.com/2016/04/11/charlie-sykes-editor-feuds-madison-mayor-over-airbnb/
A war of words erupted recently between Madison Mayor Paul Soglin and the editor of Charlie Sykes’ website over the regulation of Airbnb.
Soglin’s concern is about how to tax an industry that’s nearly invisible. Earlier this year, a bill was proposed in the Legislature to gut ordinances regulating such rentals in the state, including one adopted by Madison in 2013. The bill failed to pass, but it remained a threat on March 14, when Soglin announced in a press conference that he was interested in creating a new city position to track down and collect unreported room tax revenues. The City of Madison levies a room tax of 9 percent. Dane County does not levy a room tax.
That idea incensed some.
“Soglin is once again defending the status quo against an innovative new way for citizens to make a little extra money on the side,” wrote Kevin Binversie in a column posted in March on RightWisconsin.com, Sykes’ website. “Soglin seems hell-bent on trampling not just on the free market, but his citizens’ Fourth Amendment rights — all in the name of tax collection.”
Soglin replied that Binversie’s column was “clearly the work of some right-wing libertarian.”
Responding again to Soglin, Binversie, who’s RightWisconsin.com’s web editor, posted a column criticizing the mayor at length.
“Soglin believes the captured tax revenue would allow the new position to pay for itself (how wonderful!),” he wrote. “How Madison city government plans on tracking down these locations — Airbnb doesn’t publicly list addresses of rentals, only pictures, since all interactions are done via email — is anyone’s guess.”
He asked, “Will this staffer wander the streets of Madison, going door-to-door trying to match up addresses with pictures from online listings?”