Take heed, Airbnb hosts: the Suffolk County Comptroller is coming for your unpaid taxes

Suffolk County comptroller John M. Kennedy has collected as much as $25,000 in owned hotel taxes by using the Southampton and East Hampton short-term rental registries, 27East reported. The registries were implemented last summer as an effort to crack down on illegal rentals rampant in the South Fork. The hotel/motel tax law subjects any type of vacation rental to a 3 percent lodging tax, Kennedy told the paper. But not everyone is on board with his plan. East Hampton Town Councilmember Sylvia Overby said she’s concerned that the registry could unfairly target those who rent out their primary residence in order to make ends meet. “The intent of the registry was to maintain the quality of life in our neighborhoods,” she said. [27East]