Breckenridge Town Council’s endorsed 1,628% increase of the short-term rental annual license fee for my home flaunts taxation without representation beyond reason.

The council is having a field day seeing how many restrictions and punitive taxes they can crack down on owners of short-term rental condos and homes. They are relishing their tyrannical powers to stick it to second-home owners, since the vast majority of them cannot vote in local elections. Hey, while you’re crushing our livelihoods, why don’t you tax the vacant second homes — those where the owners don’t rent and only visit their homes a few times a year? In the council’s logic, shouldn’t they be taxed even more since these empty homes are not being rented out and not contributing to the local economy with their expenditures and hotel taxes?

These spiteful taxes will force everyone to raise nightly fees, causing vacationers to choose other, more affordable resort towns. The future looks very ugly for Breckenridge.