SANTO DOMINGO. – The president of the La Romana-Bayahibe Hotel Association (AHRB), Andrés Fernández, endorsed the plans of the General Directorate of Internal Taxes (DGII) to establish a tax scheme for Airbnb and other digital lodging platforms, after the director of the agency announced that he would present a proposal on the matter within 60 days.
"All actors involved in the same industry have to work under the same rules and under the same tax conditions," Fernández stated when asked about the issue during the presentation of the AHRB's 2026 agenda to the Dominican Association of Tourism Press (ADOMPRETUR).
The executive clarified that the hotel sector is not seeking to eliminate competition from digital platforms, but rather to level the playing field.
"It's not about anyone entering into competition with the hotels, but rather that whoever wants to enter into competition does so with exactly the same rules, the same requirements and the same taxes that the hotels have to pay," he specified.
For Fernández, the measure being prepared by the DGII would be a step in the right direction. "I understand that it's a measure that can benefit the sector, especially because it will democratize it; it will allow all stakeholders who want to participate to do so, but all under the same rules," he stated.
He said the topic has been recurring in the debates of ASONAHORES, of which AHRB is a part.
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