Airbnb面臨紐約短租禁令

Airbnb faces a fight for its life in the Big Apple as New York governor Andrew Cuomo prepares to sign a bill that would in effect end the home-sharing group’s business in New York City.

Airbnb將在紐約面臨一場生死之戰，紐約州州長安德魯.庫默(Andrew Cuomo)準備簽署一個法案，實質上將結束這家住房分享集團在紐約市的業務。

The San Francisco start-up is waging an eleventh-hour campaign to thwart the legislation, offering to impose a mandatory host registration system to help the state keep track of renters and a “one host, one home” rule to curtail the challenge it poses to New York hoteliers.

這家位於舊金山的初創企業正在進行最後時刻的努力以阻止立法，提出將執行強制性房東登記系統，幫助紐約州追蹤租戶，並實行“一個居所，一個房東”規則，以減少其對紐約酒店業構成的挑戰。

Mr Cuomo must decide whether to sign the bill by the end of next week. If it becomes law, it would impose fines of up to $7,500 on hosts who advertise short-term accommodation through Airbnb.

庫默必須最遲在下週結束之前決定是否簽署該法案。一旦立法成功，房東若通過Airbnb宣傳短期住宿，將受到高達7500美元的罰款。

Linda Rosenthal, the state assemblywoman who co-sponsored the bill, told the Financial Times that Airbnb’s concessions were “absolutely not” enough to address her fears. “The lawbreaker does not get to make the law,” she said.

該法案的共同倡導者、紐約州議員琳達.羅森塔爾(Linda Rosenthal)向英國《金融時報》表示，Airbnb的妥協“絕對不足以”解決她的憂慮。她說：“違法者不能制定法律。”

The online service, which connects owners of homes and flats with tourists and other renters in cities around the world, has often clashed with regulators who accuse the company of facilitating illegal hotel businesses and reducing affordable housing stock.

Airbnb提供的網上租房服務，在全球獨立屋和公寓的業主與遊客和其他租客之間牽線搭橋，該服務經常與監管者發生衝突，後者指控Airbnb爲非法酒店業務提供方便，減少了可負擔住宅存量。

In New York, hotel unions and New York City officials have been particularly vociferous about the company’s failure to comply with a 2010 law that banned short-term rentals in Manhattan — but is rarely enforced.

在紐約，酒店工會和紐約市官員的反對尤爲激烈，他們指責該公司未能遵守2010年一項禁止在曼哈頓提供短租服務的法律——但很少執行。

Airbnb said yesterday that it wanted to pay taxes in New York, estimating that it could generate about $90m a year for the state under its new registration scheme. The company also proposed a new “three strikes” rule that would permanently ban hosts who break the 2010 law more than three times.

Airbnb昨日表示想在紐約繳稅，按照新的房東登記計劃，估計這將爲紐約州產生每年9000萬美元稅收。該公司還提出了新的“三振出局”規定，違反2010年法律三次以上的房東將遭到永久性禁止。

The company has already reached similar tax agreements with many other cities. In New York, Airbnb lists 46,000 apartments and homes.

該公司已與其他許多城市達成類似稅務協議。在紐約，Airbnb提供4.6萬套公寓和住宅。

Like other such Silicon Valley start-ups that have disrupted traditional business models, Airbnb has been forced, often through confrontation, to become more responsive to local regulators and interest groups as it expands.

就像其他破壞了傳統商業模式的硅谷創業公司一樣，Airbnb在擴張時一直被迫（往往是通過對抗形式）對地方監管者和利益集團做出更多回應。

The company is experimenting with revenue-sharing arrangements that see part of the revenue from Airbnb rentals go back to apartment buildings themselves, and executives said the approach could be expanded in New York.

該公司正嘗試收入分成協議，將Airbnb租金中的部分收入返還公寓樓本身，高管表示這種做法可以在紐約推廣。

Chris Lehane, Airbnb’s policy chief, called on Mr Cuomo to veto the bill, saying that it represented special interests and hotel-union lobbying.

Airbnb政策主管克里斯.勒漢(Chris Lehane)呼籲庫默否決該議案，他表示該議案代表了特殊利益和酒店工會的遊說。