Airbnb hosts and eBay traders to benefit from £2,000 'sharing economy' tax allowance

Property and trading income will be included in the tax-free allowance for individuals from April 2017, the Chancellor has announced

Online merchants and short-term landlords were given a gift in the budget, with two new 1,000 tax-free allowances offered on income from those sources.

Intended to boost the number of "micro-entrepreneurs" who make small amounts of money online, the tax breaks were introduced by the chancellor, George Osborne, with specific reference to the online marketplace eBay and the short-term lettings site Airbnb.