Hawaii: Airbnb has acknowledged hosts not paying all taxes

Hawaii says a judge should compel Airbnb to hand over 10 years of receipts and other documents from its hosts because the home-sharing platform has acknowledged that hosts aren't fully complying with state tax laws.

Hawaii has asked a judge to allow it to subpoena Airbnb to help it find which hosts haven't paid the state's equivalent of hotel and sales taxes.

The state attorney general noted in a court filing Monday that Airbnb suggested legislation that would allow it to register as a Hawaii tax collection agent to ensure its hosts pay taxes. It says such legislation wouldn't be necessary if hosts were tax compliant.

The state needs permission for the subpoena because its investigation targets a group of taxpayers, not specific individuals. A hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.