SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Airbnb followed the trend of numerous internet-related and IT companies by locating a major executive presence in Dublin, Ireland. Here, Airbnb has located its European HQ. This comes on the back of considerable proliferation of Irish based 'Airbnb hosts'. Anecdotal evidence suggests a huge cross section of socio-economic groups taking the decision to become such hosts and, though not necessarily following, there would seem to be an array of standards on offer to the discerning 'guest'. For some hosts this would seem to be a lifeline, for others an entertaining frivolity to bolster pocket money...
...Airbnb having profited nicely by taking the position of middle man in all this are now, like a sleeping cow being tipped, willing to play dead and sing like the proverbial parrot regarding the private data of hosts. This would seem to fly in the face of combative stances taken by companies such as Microsoft and Google, having similar status in Ireland, in recent times.
Where does this sit on the Uber/big-data/privacy/capitalism/tax haven/governance spectrum?
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday August 14 2015, @11:14AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 3, Funny) by Dunbal on Friday August 14 2015, @11:18AM
He's a beautiful singer is the Norweigian Blue. Just look at that plumage, too!
(Score: 2) by Rivenaleem on Friday August 14 2015, @12:24PM
My reaction completely after reading the summary. I was left scratching my head wondering what this was all about.
(Score: 1) by Conver on Friday August 14 2015, @10:59PM
Now Rivenaleem, here comes the aeroplane...nearrrrrrrrooowwwwwwww...if you finish all your dinner you can play video games. One more spoon, c'mon.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 14 2015, @12:19PM
Can't Comprehend. Must. Find. Dictionary.
(Score: 2) by fadrian on Friday August 14 2015, @12:46PM
Dictionary won't help this. It's just word salad.
That is all.
(Score: 2) by miljo on Friday August 14 2015, @02:24PM
Oh good, I thought it was just me.
One should strive to achieve, not sit in bitter regret.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by GlennC on Friday August 14 2015, @12:38PM
When it comes to knowing if a corporation is going to roll over or not, it's a simple test.
If it makes them money, they'll do it.
If it costs them money, they won't.
Fines and other punishments are simply costs to be either avoided or minimized.
Sorry folks...the world is bigger and more varied than you want it to be. Deal with it.
(Score: 3, Informative) by bob_super on Friday August 14 2015, @03:32PM
And for anyone still uninformed about tax evasion:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Irish_arrangement [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 14 2015, @03:32PM
If you think cows just lie there and play dead when you tip them, then clearly you've never done any cow tipping. They get up, and they get up MAD.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 15 2015, @07:07AM
They dislike money THAT much?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Friday August 14 2015, @04:18PM
Not sure where I stand on this. To me, it isn't clear whether the hosts were trying to beat gubbermint out of taxes. I mean - anytime a deal looks to good to be true, then it isn't true.
People who are hard up for money are presented with an oppotunity to make some respectable money - tax free. It's pretty much always a scam. If respectable amounts of money don't clue you in, then the "tax free" bit should.
On the other side - 50% taxation? WTF? Only the wealthy can afford to pay 50% taxes. Wealthy people aren't letting rooms. WTF?!?!?! Someone in government has their heads up their asses, for sure.
I kinda think there's some stupidity on both sides, and as usual, Gubbermint always wins in the stupidity olympics.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 3, Funny) by dime on Friday August 14 2015, @08:01PM
This is a very interesting strategy to make people RTFA to find out what the fuck is going on by making the summary incoherent.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 15 2015, @12:47AM
The crux of the matter the author was trying to get at is this:
Revenue are the overzealous body here in Ireland, analogous to what the IRS are in the U.S.A. We'll all have our version of this wherever we are I'm sure. Historically in Ireland Revenue are labelled as chasing the working class hero while the wealthy land owing class afford ever-so-creative accounting practices and evade paying taxes on all but the most derisive, paltry declared incomes.
It isn't practical to explore the nuances of the property market in Ireland here, but it is both blatant and subtle. Add to that flagrant bank corruption which ended badly and what you’re left with is a zero-sum situation for the working class hero in what was a 20 year period of immense economic growth. Some people are left with severe negative equity and conversely a substantial minority are sitting on or in a portfolio of sprawling opulent properties.
Now bring in various multinationals, including Airbnb who are no doubt happy to chow down on a double-Irish with a Dutch Sandwich (and Ireland is happy to serve it). Airbnb knew exactly what would happen and they let it play out because that's their prerogative as a self-made 'middleman'. At least other multinationals put up a fight when it came to handing over big datasets. It's corporate laziness, irresponsibility and vulgarity on Airbnb's part. Indeed they ought to arise the MAD, tipped cow.
There are many sorts of many problems here, on all sides. For example, there is a huge disparity between the minimum wage and the cost of accommodation, this can only be worsened by the presence of Airbnb. Sure, a tax loophole of whatever variety will have all groups queueing to diddle the Gubbermint(s). Is it not a little abhorrent though that Airbnb are showing no corporate responsibility of any kind, re: homelessness, re: the very data they made their profit upon? . The well off can afford to absorb this or hide it. The not so well off… What makes this better than reckless fracking or a plague of locusts? There's a tech angle to this somewhere!
I know, I know, I’ve done it again. I cannot write concisely AND comprehensively AND coherently. My time is finite…I mean the author’s is. I’m going back inside my Faraday cage.