By: Beckley H.B. No. 1962
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the collection of state, municipal, and county hotel
  occupancy taxes by a short-term rental marketplace.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 156, Tax Code, is amended
  by adding Section 156.054 to read as follows:
         Sec. 156.054.  TAX COLLECTION BY SHORT-TERM RENTAL
  MARKETPLACE. (a) For purposes of this section:
               (1)  "Booking charge" means the charge imposed on a
  person by a host for the purpose of renting a short-term rental in
  this state and includes any fees charged by the host, regardless of
  whether separately itemized. The booking charge is considered the
  price paid for a room or space in a hotel for purposes of the
  imposition of a hotel occupancy tax.
               (2)  "Host" means a person who owns a short-term rental
  and offers the short-term rental for rent through a short-term
  rental marketplace or, if applicable, that person's authorized
  agent who offers the short-term rental for rent through a
  short-term rental marketplace.
               (3)  "Short-term rental" has the meaning assigned by
  Section 156.001.
               (4)  "Short-term rental marketplace" means a
  marketplace, Internet website, mobile application, or other
  platform:
                     (A)  through which a host offers a short-term
  rental for rent; and
                     (B)  that collects the booking charge for the
  rental of the short-term rental.
         (b)  Notwithstanding Section 156.053 or any other law:
               (1)  a short-term rental marketplace:
                     (A)  shall collect the appropriate amount of the
  tax imposed under this chapter on each booking charge with respect
  to a short-term rental located in this state;
                     (B)  shall report and remit all taxes collected by
  the short-term rental marketplace under Paragraph (A) in the manner
  required:
                           (i)  of a person owning, operating,
  managing, or controlling a hotel under this chapter; or
                           (ii)  if applicable, by an agreement under
  Subsection (c); and
                     (C)  is considered to be the person owning,
  operating, managing, or controlling the short-term rental for
  purposes of the collection and enforcement of the tax imposed under
  this chapter; and
               (2)  the host may not collect and is not liable for a
  tax imposed by this chapter on a booking charge for a rental made
  through the short-term rental marketplace.
         (c)  A short-term rental marketplace may enter into an
  agreement with a third-party vendor to remit to the comptroller the
  taxes imposed by this chapter that the short-term rental
  marketplace collects. During the period the agreement is in effect:
               (1)  the short-term rental marketplace shall report and
  remit all taxes collected by the short-term rental marketplace
  under Subsection (b) to the third-party vendor on a schedule
  determined by the vendor; and
               (2)  the vendor shall report and remit the taxes
  described by Subdivision (1) to the comptroller in the manner a
  person owning, operating, managing, or controlling a hotel is
  required to report and remit taxes under this chapter.
         (d)  The comptroller may adopt rules to implement and
  administer this section.
         SECTION 2.  Subchapter A, Chapter 351, Tax Code, is amended
  by adding Section 351.0043 to read as follows:
         Sec. 351.0043.  TAX COLLECTION BY SHORT-TERM RENTAL
  MARKETPLACE. (a) For purposes of this section:
               (1)  "Booking charge," "host," and "short-term rental
  marketplace" have the meanings assigned by Section 156.054.
               (2)  "Short-term rental" has the meaning assigned by
  Section 156.001.
         (b)  Notwithstanding Section 351.004 or any other law:
               (1)  a short-term rental marketplace:
                     (A)  shall collect the appropriate amount of the
  tax imposed under this chapter by a municipality in which a
  short-term rental is located on each booking charge with respect to
  that short-term rental;
                     (B)  shall report and remit all taxes collected by
  the short-term rental marketplace under Paragraph (A) in the manner
  required:
                           (i)  of a person owning, operating,
  managing, or controlling a hotel under this chapter and in
  accordance with the ordinance adopted by the municipality imposing
  the tax; or
                           (ii)  if applicable, by an agreement under
  this section; and
                     (C)  is considered to be the person owning,
  operating, managing, or controlling the short-term rental for
  purposes of the collection and enforcement of the tax imposed under
  this chapter; and
               (2)  the host may not collect and is not liable for a
  tax imposed by this chapter on a booking charge for a rental made
  through the short-term rental marketplace.
         (c)  A short-term rental marketplace may:
               (1)  enter into an agreement with the comptroller to
  collect and remit to the comptroller the taxes imposed by a
  municipality under this chapter on each booking charge for a rental
  made through the short-term rental marketplace; or
               (2)  enter into an agreement with a third-party vendor
  to remit to the municipality the taxes described by Subdivision (1)
  that the short-term rental marketplace collects.
         (d)  To be effective, an agreement described by Subsection
  (c)(2) must be approved by the governing body of the municipality.
  During the period an agreement described by Subsection (c) is in
  effect, the short-term rental marketplace shall report and remit
  all taxes collected by the short-term rental marketplace under
  Subsection (b) to:
               (1)  the comptroller on a schedule determined by the
  comptroller, if the agreement in effect is with the comptroller; or
               (2)  the third-party vendor on a schedule determined by
  the vendor, if the agreement in effect is with a vendor.
         (e)  The comptroller or third-party vendor, as applicable,
  shall promulgate a form a short-term rental marketplace must use to
  report the taxes collected by the short-term rental marketplace
  under this section if an agreement under Subsection (c) is in
  effect. The form must include the following information:
               (1)  the total receipts from the rental during the
  reporting period of all short-term rentals located in any
  municipality that has approved an agreement under this section and
  offered for rent through the short-term rental marketplace,
  categorized by municipality in which those short-term rentals are
  located;
               (2)  the total amount of booking charges from the
  rental during the reporting period of all short-term rentals
  located in any municipality that has approved an agreement under
  this section and offered for rent through the short-term rental
  marketplace, categorized by municipality in which those short-term
  rentals are located;
               (3)  the rate of the tax imposed under this chapter in
  each municipality identified under Subdivision (2); and
               (4)  the total receipts and the total amount of booking
  charges from the rental during the reporting period of all
  short-term rentals located in a project financing zone as defined
  by Section 351.1015 and offered for rent through the short-term
  rental marketplace, categorized by project financing zone.
         (f)  The form described by Subsection (e) may not require the
  identification of a specific guest or the host of a short-term
  rental.
         (g)  If the short-term rental marketplace collects and
  remits to the comptroller the taxes imposed by the municipality
  under this chapter in accordance with an agreement under Subsection
  (c)(1), the comptroller shall:
               (1)  deposit the taxes remitted to the comptroller
  under this section in trust in the separate suspense account of the
  municipality in which short-term rentals with respect to which the
  taxes were collected are located; and
               (2)  send to the municipal treasurer or to the person
  who performs the office of the municipal treasurer payable to the
  municipality the municipality's share of the taxes remitted to the
  comptroller under this chapter at least 12 times during each state
  fiscal year.
         (h)  A suspense account described by Subsection (g)(1) is
  outside the treasury and the comptroller may make a payment from the
  account without the necessity of an appropriation.
         (i)  Before sending any money to a municipality under
  Subsection (g) and subject to the limitation provided by this
  subsection, the comptroller shall deduct and deposit to the credit
  of the general revenue fund an amount equal to one percent of the
  amount of the taxes collected from rentals of short-term rentals
  located in the municipality under this section during the period
  for which a distribution is made as the state's charge for services
  provided by the state under this section. The comptroller may not
  deduct from the distributions to a municipality more than $50,000
  in each state fiscal year under this subsection.
         (j)  If the short-term rental marketplace enters into an
  agreement with a third-party vendor under Subsection (c)(2), the
  vendor shall report and remit to a municipality that approved the
  agreement all taxes imposed by the municipality under this chapter
  and collected by the short-term rental marketplace on rentals of
  short-term rentals located in that municipality at the times and in
  the manner provided by the agreement.
         (k)  Notwithstanding any other law, this section applies to
  the collection, remittance, and distribution of taxes imposed by a
  political subdivision that is authorized to impose a hotel
  occupancy tax under a provision of the Special District Local Laws
  Code or civil statutes in the same manner the section applies to a
  municipality authorized to impose a hotel occupancy tax under this
  chapter.
         (l)  The comptroller may adopt rules to implement and
  administer this section.
         SECTION 3.  Subchapter A, Chapter 352, Tax Code, is amended
  by adding Section 352.0042 to read as follows:
         Sec. 352.0042.  TAX COLLECTION BY SHORT-TERM RENTAL
  MARKETPLACE. (a) For purposes of this section:
               (1)  "Booking charge," "host," and "short-term rental
  marketplace" have the meanings assigned by Section 156.054.
               (2)  "Short-term rental" has the meaning assigned by
  Section 156.001.
         (b)  Notwithstanding Section 352.004 or any other law:
               (1)  a short-term rental marketplace:
                     (A)  shall collect the appropriate amount of the
  tax imposed under this chapter by a county in which a short-term
  rental is located on each booking charge with respect to that
  short-term rental;
                     (B)  shall report and remit all taxes collected by
  the short-term rental marketplace under Paragraph (A) in the manner
  required:
                           (i)  of a person owning, operating,
  managing, or controlling a hotel under this chapter and in
  accordance with the order adopted by the county imposing the tax; or
                           (ii)  if applicable, by an agreement under
  this section; and
                     (C)  is considered to be the person owning,
  operating, managing, or controlling the short-term rental for
  purposes of the collection and enforcement of the tax imposed under
  this chapter; and
               (2)  the host may not collect and is not liable for a
  tax imposed by this chapter on a booking charge for a rental made
  through the short-term rental marketplace.
         (c)  A short-term rental marketplace may:
               (1)  enter into an agreement with the comptroller to
  collect and remit to the comptroller the taxes imposed by a county
  under this chapter on each booking charge for a rental made through
  the short-term rental marketplace; or
               (2)  enter into an agreement with a third-party vendor
  to remit to the county the taxes described by Subdivision (1) that
  the short-term rental marketplace collects.
         (d)  To be effective, an agreement described by Subsection
  (c)(2) must be approved by the commissioners court of the county.
  During the period an agreement described by Subsection (c) is in
  effect, the short-term rental marketplace shall report and remit
  all taxes collected by the short-term rental marketplace under
  Subsection (b) to:
               (1)  the comptroller on a schedule determined by the
  comptroller, if the agreement in effect is with the comptroller; or
               (2)  the third-party vendor on a schedule determined by
  the vendor, if the agreement in effect is with a vendor.
         (e)  The comptroller or third-party vendor, as applicable,
  shall promulgate a form a short-term rental marketplace must use to
  report the taxes collected by the short-term rental marketplace
  under this section if an agreement under Subsection (c) is in
  effect. The form must include the following information:
               (1)  the total receipts from the rental during the
  reporting period of all short-term rentals located in any county
  that has approved an agreement under this section and offered for
  rent through the short-term rental marketplace, categorized by
  county in which those short-term rentals are located;
               (2)  the total amount of booking charges from the
  rental during the reporting period of all short-term rentals
  located in any county that has approved an agreement under this
  section and offered for rent through the short-term rental
  marketplace, categorized by county in which those short-term
  rentals are located; and
               (3)  the rate of the tax imposed under this chapter in
  each county identified under Subdivision (2).
         (f)  The form described by Subsection (e) may not require the
  identification of a specific guest or the host of a short-term
  rental.
         (g)  If the short-term rental marketplace collects and
  remits to the comptroller the taxes imposed by the county under this
  chapter in accordance with an agreement under Subsection (c)(1),
  the comptroller shall:
               (1)  deposit the taxes remitted to the comptroller
  under this section in trust in the separate suspense account of the
  county in which short-term rentals with respect to which the taxes
  were collected are located; and
               (2)  send to the county treasurer payable to the county
  the county's share of the taxes remitted to the comptroller under
  this chapter at least 12 times during each state fiscal year.
         (h)  A suspense account described by Subsection (g)(1) is
  outside the treasury and the comptroller may make a payment from the
  account without the necessity of an appropriation.
         (i)  Before sending any money to a county under Subsection
  (g) and subject to the limitation provided by this subsection, the
  comptroller shall deduct and deposit to the credit of the general
  revenue fund an amount equal to one percent of the amount of the
  taxes collected from rentals of short-term rentals located in the
  county under this section during the period for which a
  distribution is made as the state's charge for services provided by
  the state under this section. The comptroller may not deduct from
  the distributions to a county more than $50,000 in each state fiscal
  year under this subsection.
         (j)  If the short-term rental marketplace enters into an
  agreement with a third-party vendor under Subsection (c)(2), the
  vendor shall report and remit to a county that approved the
  agreement all taxes imposed by the county under this chapter and
  collected by the short-term rental marketplace on rentals of
  short-term rentals located in that county at the times and in the
  manner provided by the agreement.
         (k)  Notwithstanding any other law, this section applies to
  the collection, remittance, and distribution of taxes imposed by a
  political subdivision that is authorized to impose a hotel
  occupancy tax under a provision of the Special District Local Laws
  Code or civil statutes in the same manner the section applies to a
  county authorized to impose a hotel occupancy tax under this
  chapter.
         (l)  The comptroller may adopt rules to implement and
  administer this section.
         SECTION 4.  Sections 334.253(a) and (b), Local Government
  Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (a)  Sections 351.002(c), 351.004, 351.0041, 351.0043,
  351.005, and 351.006, Tax Code, govern the imposition, computation,
  administration, collection, and remittance of a municipal tax
  authorized under this subchapter except as inconsistent with this
  subchapter.
         (b)  Sections 352.002(c), 352.004, 352.0041, 352.0042,
  352.005, and 352.007, Tax Code, govern the imposition, computation,
  administration, collection, and remittance of a county tax
  authorized under this subchapter except as inconsistent with this
  subchapter.
         SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.