Airbnb delivers more than $319M in taxes in communities across Canada

Airbnb Hosts around the world have welcomed more than 1.5 billion guest arrivals. By opening up their home, Hosts can provide affordable accommodation options for guests, help communities reap the economic benefits from travel, and generate billions in economic activity and tax revenue for local communities. Since 2014, we’ve worked with governments around the world to help Hosts with the collection and remittance of tourism taxes. 

As jurisdictions within all three levels of government manage budget deficits, the taxes generated by stays on Airbnb continue to be a valuable source of revenue for many Canadian communities. In 2023 alone, Hosts in Canada generated approximately $319 million in taxes, including approximately $164 million in federal GST, HST and PST.¹ 

The Canadian tax figure is part of a global $10 billion USD in taxes collected and remitted on behalf of our Host community around the world. Jurisdictions leverage these tax dollars to fund various initiatives – from destination marketing to programs and services travellers take advantage of when visiting, like road infrastructure, parks, and recreation. 

Below is a snapshot of the taxes collected and remitted on behalf of Hosts in 2023 in jurisdictions across the country: 

• British Columbia: $93 million (PST and MRDT)
• Quebec: $15 million (QST and tax sur l’hébergement touristique)
• Manitoba: $2 million (RST)
• Saskatchewan: $1 million (PST)
• Toronto: $11 million (MAT and fees)
• Mississauga: $1 million (MAT)
• Ottawa: $1 million (MAT)
• Barrie: $193K (MAT)

Our support for sensible tax collection policies

Airbnb is a leader in advocating for solutions that allow short-term rental platforms to collect and remit taxes on behalf of Hosts— initially through Voluntary Collection Agreements  and more recently by working with lawmakers on streamlined centralized tax collection laws, including those in British Columbia and  Quebec.

Laws mandating centralized collection of local taxes by short-term rental platforms ensure all short-term platforms collect and remit tourism taxes on behalf of Hosts at scale while making it easier for local governments to collect a number of taxes, including sales taxes, tourism taxes, and local gross receipts taxes, on accommodation taxes.

As domestic travel on Airbnb rises along with more communities in Canada welcoming their first Airbnb guests, the tax collected helps offset mounting deficits within all three levels of government, while also seeing an influx of visitor spending at the local level.  And with nearly 50 percent of Canada home to Airbnb listings in areas without hotels, Hosts and guests are helping to provide a growing source of revenue for emerging travel hubs.