Many vacation rental owners fear that charging sales tax ultimately hurts the owners' bottom line, I disagree. It's all about presentation and attitude when telling your renters about the sales tax. In today's world, we are accustomed to paying sales tax on every purchase we make. Why should renting a condo or cabin be any different?
For starters, understand that the money does not come from you - it comes from the renters. You are just a 'middleman' for the government. Actually, you should look at it as a duty that ultimately works in your favor.
These taxes pay for many things that are directly beneficial to your investment such as roads, sidewalks, beach & land preservation and the local chamber of commerce (which is responsible for national tourism advertising campaigns; you know, those colorful, glitzy TV ads that show what a beautiful place your state is). That is why I view these taxes as a good thing.
When I give seminars in Florida, the county departments of revenue always attend. I give them a chance to speak with the owners and explain how to file the taxes. They also go into great detail about what the current local taxes are allocated for. The counties like the tourists as much as we owners do.
For the counties, sales tax brings in revenue, jobs and growth. For us, the owners, these taxes go toward things that directly impact our property values. The tax revenues give the counties the funding to make major capital improvements in the area.
For example, Walton County, Florida built a 5 or 6-mile boardwalk right in front of my condo complex. This has made the area safe for walking and jogging, and biking. Moreover, they purchased a trolley to transport renters from off beach properties to the beach. This cuts down on traffic and congestion right in front of my property. And they purchased dune buggies for the police department to patrol the beaches, which makes it a safe place for vacationers.
All of these things directly impact the tourism in the area and subsequently improve my property values.
So if you view the sales tax as a benefit for yourself, maybe that will make it easier to collect and pay. Remember, somebody has to pay for all of those things the municipality provides to make a more pleasant environment for the tourists. It may as well be the renter (be glad this is a cost you are simply passing on, and not something taken directly out of your own pocket!).
If I have not yet convinced you that sales taxes are good for you, let me remind you—it's the law! There are stiff fines, penalties, and interest penalties if you do not comply. Many states are beginning to come down hard on vacation property owners who are tax avoiders (I don't like to say “tax evaders,” sounds too much like you can end up in prison). Please don't be naive and ask, "How are they going to find out?" The tax departments aren't stupid. They know about the Internet. They have people on their staff that regularly and systematically search through the listings. So, if you have a listing on the Web, the tax department will find you, eventually. I don't think I'm being overly dramatic when I say, 'Big Brother is watching.'
If you don't want to deal with the hassles of filing monthly or quarterly sales taxes for your second home, HotSpot has a low cost service that will handle this for you.