The El Paso Short Term Rental Alliance voices strong concerns regarding City Representative Chris Canales’s recent comments on short term rental taxation. His estimates, based on exaggerated occupancy rates and the unrealistic assumption of year-round operation, overlook the true dynamics of our sector. Furthermore, the assertion of there being 5,000 short-term rental occupancies in El Paso is factually incorrect. Such inaccuracies lay the groundwork for a Tax that unfairly targets our small-scale operators, the very backbone of El Paso’s hospitality industry, by basing policy on flawed assumptions rather than engaging with the realities of our sector.
Our alliance is dedicated to collaborating with the City to improve safety and ensure compliance in the short term rental sector. However, the proposed tax shift threatens these joint efforts, risking harm to the essential ‘mom and pop’ operations that underpin our community’s economy. This strategy echoes the fiscal practices observed in the downtown Ballpark initiative, where public resources substantially supported private ventures, signaling a worrying pattern in city governance. The reliance on overly optimistic figures for justifying an added tax underscores the issue with the City Representative’s calculations.
We urge a reevaluation of this taxation proposal, advocating for policies that genuinely support economic growth and the well-being of El Paso without imposing additional burdens on our residents. The El Paso Short Term Rental Alliance seeks to continue dialogue with city officials to find balanced solutions that consider the real data and market realities of short term rentals, ensuring our city thrives as a vibrant, hospitable community for all.