Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel honed on in the growing popularity of AirBNB.
For those unfamiliar with the service, it’s much like Uber in that home owners can rent out their home for a night or more through the AirBNB app or site.
The service is a way for travelers to experience a truly local feel for their host city while staying in bed-and-breakfast like accommodations.
There are hosts in over 30,000 cities around the world.
Chicago offers over 300 AirBNB hosts where average one-night stays run a reasonable $113 per night. Some can be found for as low as $19 per night.
But “Godfather” Rahm wants his money.
The Chicago mayor and former chief of staff for Barack Obama is requiring all AirBNB hosts to register with the city to obtain a license and collect two different taxes for travelers.
For AirBNB hosts who don’t go want to hassle with 17 pages of compliance documents and taxes are faced with fines of no less than $1,500 per offense or six months in jail.
In typical Chicago fashion, the Godfather wants his cut.
