Adams County officials are gearing up for the big 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, and since this celebration will be much bigger than any other year, they want to make sure laws aren’t broken.
Some people rent out a room or small area of their home for the big event, but there’s a tax officials say people need to be aware of if they decide to do this.
It’s called a pillow tax. The state now requires Adams County to collect a 5% tax from county residents who open their homes to visitors to make extra cash.
“We’re talking about when someone is basically competing with a hotel or bed and breakfast, they should be subject to the same tax that those operators are subject to,” says Adams County Solicitor, John Hartzell.
Frequency of room rentals brought this issue to attention.
“People need to understand that there’s a process more than just advertising that their house is for rent, and we’re really trying hard to facilitate that,” says the Media Relations Manager for the Gettysburg Convention and Visitors Bureau, Carl Whitehill.
After searching on a cell phone we found a website which lists available rental rooms and it looks like, this street, west middle, is a very popular area.
“Anyone who’s operating a business just doing it temporarily or part time in this situation would want to me cognitive of all the taxes that may apply to them,” says Hartzell.
It’s not just a 5% pillow tax, but a 6% sales tax owed to the state as well. And if a person doesn’t pay, they could face criminal penalties.