Airbnb lawsuit claims Boulder improperly taxes fees

BOULDER — Airbnb Inc. filed a lawsuit this week against the city of Boulder and its city manager’s office, accusing municipal tax collectors of improperly taxing guest fees charged to users by short-term rental technology platform for its services.

According to Airbnb’s complaint, the platform imposes a “tax on the ‘price paid for the leasing or rental of any dwelling unit for a period of less than thirty days.’ The guest fee is not part of the ‘price paid for the leasing or rental of [a] dwelling unit[.]’”

Boulder staffers conducted a tax audit on Airbnb payments to the city for a…