Short-term rentals top $26M in Augusta sales

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Short-term rental and lodging vendors, including Airbnb and HomeAway, reported more than $26 million in sales in Augusta during the first eight months of this year, according to records.Short-term rentals, like hotel bookings, are subject to Augusta’s hotel-motel tax. The city’s zoning rewrite includes a provision that could limit where short-term rentals are allowed.How the hotel-motel tax worksAugusta’s hotel-motel tax is 8% on lodging and helps fund tourism in the city.Three and a half percentage points go to the Coliseum Authority. Another three and a half percentage points go to Destination Augusta. The city receives the remaining one percentage point.Short-term rental tax revenueIn the first eight months of this year, the records show short-term rentals generated more than $2 million in hotel-motel tax from these vendors.April, the month of the Masters, accounted for nearly one-fourth of that total.The city administrator has recommended using the city’s