Just like AirBNB, District of Columbia's Council voted for a "$250 Millon dollar COVID Relief Bill" for the 'self employed and independent contractors". Both entiteis benefited by a ton of press. Similiar to AirBNB's $250 Million Dollar COVID Fund, the DC COVID fund netted zero to the self employed.
After a month of waiting, an honorable investment of time to fill out the application, DC dumped all 1600 applications, 21% of the applicant pool, without notifying any applicant. DC falsely believes the CARES act will offer "unemployment benefits to the self employed". Most of the self employed, if they are AirBNB hosts applying, are not eligible for unemployment, which is the reason they applied to the DC COVID bill in the first place. If they file their income as rental income and do not use a Schedule C and report it as self employment income--they cannot legally qualify for those benefits.
This means that the sum obtained from a half of billion dollars of so-called COVID relief offered to a self employed AirBNB host is $8.20. If one more company or one more politician falsely promises COVID relief to the self employed without producing they should be shunned quite honestly. What a constant joke----lots of positive press for big business and policiticans and lots of time and hopes obliterated for the self employed.
I love that contributing 14% in occupancy taxes PLUS additioanl 14% in rental income PLUS 3.5% of fees to AIRBNB (31.5% of our gross income) equals being completely ignored by Federal and local government and AirBNB. The self employed are disposable but lovely how their taxes and fees paid are not.
Please no more bogus COVID relief announcements. It is exhausting to us all.