Tel Aviv to hike tax for short-term rent providers like Airbnb

ERUSALEM, AFP: Israel’s economic capital Tel Aviv on Monday announced plans to raise taxes for short-term accommodation provided by services like Airbnb to match an increase in long-term rentals. 

“The aim is to create an equilibrium” between tourist accommodation and long-term rentals, the Tel Aviv municipality said in a statement. 

Several cities, including Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam, also have taken steps to regulate services like Airbnb which offer short-term accommodation to tourists mainly. 

In October, Ireland announced plans to rein in popular short-term rental services such as Airbnb -- whose European headquarters are in Dublin -- in a bid to address a historic housing shortage. 

The Tel Aviv municipality did not say by how much it would increase property taxes or when the new policy would take effect.