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The City of Bonavista has taken a new approach to dealing with airbnb hosts who represent unfair competition for hotels and bread-and-breakfast ins because they don't pay business taxes. They cut your sewer and water lines.
Bonavista cuts off services for Airbnb operators with unpaid business tax bills.
"We have gone to some pretty serious measures to collect. We have literally dug up driveways and turned off water (and) sewer service until the bill is paid, cutting them off completely from all municipal services.
-- Mayor John Norman
If people can't even drive their car onto your property, take a shower, use the toilet, you're pretty motivated to pony up.
The mayor said the taxation method has been successful, but he acknowledges not all Airbnb owners are pleased.
"I don't think some are happy about it, but it is what it is."
This is a pretty effective fix to unfair competition by airbnb hosts. The next question is, how can we apply the same thinking to uber and lyft?
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Wednesday September 11 2019, @07:34AM
So if I build a house in the middle of nowhere, I can demand that someone supplies clean running water to it? It is a facility for which you have to pay. In most developed countries they provide water, sewage and power wherever it is economic to do so but I don't know anywhere where it is provided for free. And if you fail to pay your bills, the supply is cut. Perhaps not as dramatically as digging up people's driveways but, if that is what is necessary to access the stop cock, so be it.