'Airbnb tax' proposed to help Tasmania's first home buyers

The move follows similar legislation in Victoria, which introduced a 7.5 per cent consumer tax on short-term accommodation bookings with platforms such as Airbnb and Stayz.

In Tasmania, the levy would be introduced on similar platforms and paid by the users of short-stay accommodation.

About 83 per cent of short stay users in Tasmania are interstate or overseas travellers.

Housing Minister Nic Street said the move would help improve housing affordability amid a time of "unprecedented" period of population growth.

"In the last four years alone we've delivered 3000 more homes for Tasmanians," Mr Street said.

"Despite this, we know that for many Tasmanians owning their first home lies beyond reach, and rental prices are still too high."

He said the government remained a strong supporter of the rights of Tasmanians to use their homes to generate income through either short or long-stay rentals.

"And we have no intention of curtailing that right with policies such as arbitrary and unfair caps."

Mr Street said the levy would raise about $11 million per year, all of which would go directly to helping first home buyers purchase a home.

"We will have more to say about this policy tomorrow," he said.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff said Tasmania's population growth had brought growing pains, and unprecedented pressure on housing supply and infrastructure.

"This policy will help to ease the supply side pressures and to help more young Tasmanians to buy their first home," Mr Rockliff said.

"We will also ensure continued statewide consistency of short-stay regulation in Tasmania, by prohibiting the imposition of arbitrary caps and further geographic distortions of the market."

He said this would ensure the government "continue[s] to strike the balance" between supporting the visitor economy sector, private ownership rights and housing affordability.

The state government said the short-stay levy would not impact demand, pointing to Europe and Northern America where similar taxes have been implemented.