D Haydock, Suffolk Park
I’ve previously suggested that Byron Shire Council should introduce a bed tax. I’ve now been told that this is not allowed by the NSW government.
If this is true, then may I suggest this. All houses and apartments purchased for short/long-term rentals, holiday letting, Airbnb are businesses and as such should be rated as a business, not as private residential.
If the owners decide to live there in the future and they submit documentation providing proof, then these rates can be adjusted down to residential.
You may wish to adjust this increase to reflect holiday lets and BnB which I suppose would be fair as the long-term renters’ income stays here in Byron Shire.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
