Wayne County leaders push back on proposed Airbnb laws for Indiana

The unified response to the proposals comes at a time when Wayne County's tourism bureau is trying to work with those who list rooms through online services to bring them into compliance with a state law that requires them to pay a 5 percent innkeeper tax. The law is slated to go into effect July 1.

The main legislation to which the groups — as well as State Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Centerville — have voiced opposition is House Bill 1284, which would allow for a one-year period of tax collection before repealing the existing bill in July 2018. The second bill, House Bill 1133, would defer local control to the state over permission for Airbnb to operate and be hosted at locations throughout Indiana. Under HB 1133, municipalities couldn't outlaw the service like the city of Carmel attempted to do earlier this year.

Much of the current innkeeper tax in Wayne County is accounted for by local hotels and campsites. Last year, 31 businesses in the county reported a gross total of nearly $630,000 in revenue for the county through the tax. This means the industry brought in at least $12.5 million to the local economy in 2016.

'A level playing field'

Mary Walker, executive director of the Wayne County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the biggest concern she has over the proposed legislation isn't in the money that could be lost if the innkeeper tax isn't collected for Airbnb users, but rather the principle of the law itself.