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Pasco may target rentals not paying tax
By SAUNDRA AMRHEIN, Times Staff Writer
Pasco County might start cracking down on short-term rentals not paying the tourism tax. The Tourist Development Council is discussing an idea that would have the county collect the tax, not the state. Right now the state Department of Revenue collects the 2 percent tax on hotel stays and distributes the money to the county. Anyone renting a place to sleep for less than six months must pay the tax, which brought in $800,000 to the county during the fiscal year that ended in September. But county officials suspect some rentals fall between the cracks. If the county were responsible for collecting the money, it might boost the tax rolls by finding those not paying, said Diane Jones, tourism information coordinator for the county. "Hotels and motels are very obvious," she said. "Probably most of those folks are paying. It's the gray area, the folks like the small ma-and-pa beach condos. We don't know if they are paying the tax or not." The state won't release that tax information to her, she said. However, if the county collected the tax, it would be able to have the list of all those who pay, she said. It could begin an attempt to find those not paying. "We get to know who's paying and the opportunity to collect more money," said County Commissioner Peter Altman, who heads the tourism council. Of the 53 Florida counties where the tax is collected, 39 collect the tax themselves, Jones said. Pasco is the largest of the 14 counties that allow the state to collect it. The tourism council, which met Tuesday, will continue to debate the idea. The County Commission would make the final decision, taking the council's recommendation into consideration.
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