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Airbnb said it collected and paid more than double the provincial sales tax the B.C. government expected in the first year of a tax agreement between the two.

When the provincial government announced in February 2018 it would collect PST from Airbnb operators, it estimated it would receive $16 million from the homeowners who offer short-term rentals on the site.

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On Wednesday, the company said it sent the province $33.7 million between October 2018 to September 2019.

“The PST payment agreement is a new tax application, and as with any new tax application, we were conservative in our revenue projections,” Finance Minister Carole James said. “We’re closely watching the data as it comes in, and we’re making sure municipalities have the information they need to make decisions about regulating short-term rentals.”

It’s not clear whether the number of Airbnb rental providers has increased or the number of visits to them has increased, or both.