If you own a second property, rent it regularly through Airbnb and have not told your council about the commercial use, this opinion piece is directed at you.
You may regard the omission as harmless or perhaps you’ve realised that the chances of being identified are low. Deliberately withholding information that affects your rates liability is not clever tax planning. It’s gaming the system and leaving other ratepayers to pay more. Kiwiblog readers are usually quick to condemn exactly this behaviour when it occurs in other contexts, particularly when there’s failure to disclose changes in circumstances affecting benefit entitlements.
