Steamboat vacancy tax: Taxation without representation?

Steamboat vacancy tax: Taxation without representation?

As Steamboat Springs prepares to put a first-of-its-kind vacancy tax before voters this November, a fundamental question is dividing the community: Is it fair for full-time residents to decide on a tax that will be paid almost exclusively by non-resident property owners, many of whom have no say at the ballot box? The debate has revived age-old concerns about “taxation without representation,” pitting fiscal needs against democratic principles. …