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2023-09-28 20:40:55
Everything indicates that from next year the costs of staying on holiday in Greece will become even higher. The Greek government wants to increase the amount of accommodation fees that were introduced a few years ago. An even more interesting idea is the project of taxing people who derive profits from short-term rentals such as AirBnb.
Greece has been regularly struggling with the effects of natural disasters for several years. Flash floods, flooding and fires are the most common cause of large material losses, the repair of which generates huge costs. Even though the Greeks have already created a special financial reserve of EUR 300 million to cover the costs of repairs after natural disasters, they want to increase it to EUR 600 million in 2024. The most interesting thing about this is that they will look for additional money in the pockets of their guests, i.e. all people coming to Greece.
The so-called residence tax came into force on January 1, 2018. This is a tax imposed on the daily use of rooms in hotels or accommodation, and its amount depends on the category of the hotel facility. The current rates are as follows:
In objects categorized:
This tax also covers guesthouses, but in this case there is a single rate of EUR 0.5 per day. This tax is payable at check-in and is charged per room, not the number of people staying in it.
After the increases, which are to come into force on January 1, 2024, the tax rates will be as follows:
It is easy to predict the reaction of the tourism industry after the announcement of new rates. According to market specialists, an increase in the residence tax of 150-200 percent without prior consultations will be a blow to Greece's competitiveness in tourism and will make the country more expensive for travelers. Many hotel associations say the increase is "unfair" because it charges a flat rate to all hotels, regardless of their location.
The Hellenic Confederation of Tourism (SETE), the Hellenic Federation of Hoteliers and a number of local hotel associations across the country have sent letters to the government requesting dialogue on the matter. They call on the government of Kiriakos Mitsotakis to reconsider and redesign the new tax rates so as not to harm Greece's competitiveness as a tourist country. Taxes imposed should be adjusted to the hotel's location, size, room rates and special circumstances.
In a conversation with the media, the president of the association, Andreas Mandrinos, gave an example of the injustice of the hotel stay tax: "A guest in a five-star hotel in Xanthi, which charges 80 euros, will have to pay 10 euros, the same as a guest in a five-star hotel in Mykonos, which charges 500 euros per night... It's not a question of direction, but it's a question of price per night... It shouldn't be the same fee .”
Representatives of the Thessaloniki Hotel Association emphasize that there will be many hotels in which this additional fee will amount to or exceed 10 percent of the room rental price.
Additionally, the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE) points out that one sector of the Greek economy will be responsible for financing the aid fund.
However, increasing residential tax rates is not the only "bomb" dropped by the Greek government. The Greek Ministry of Finance and Economy announced tightening regulations and increasing penalties for short-term rental operators from 2024.
In just a few years, short-term rentals such as Airbnb began to successfully attract customers from the hotel industry in Greece. Currently, this market accounts for 15% of the entire tourist "pie" and this year it reached EUR 3.3 billion.
There are currently around 129,000 short-term rental properties in Greece. The scale of the increase can be imagined by recalling the data from 2016, when there were just over 57,000 such properties.
Greek hoteliers have been arguing for some time that hotels in Greece face unfair competition from Airbnb-type rentals due to "loopholes" in current short-term rental regulations. This also means multi-million losses for the government in the form of unpaid taxes and insurance premiums due to undeclared work.
In 2016, estimated net losses in public revenues amounted to EUR 160.6 million, and in 2022 this amount almost doubled to EUR 316.7 million.
The proof that this market is still growing dynamically is the booking data recorded in September this year. Compared to last year, the number of bookings in the same time period recorded a 31% increase. Similar values are expected in October.
Moreover, loopholes in current regulations allowed investors to purchase even entire buildings intended later for short-term rental. In fact, later such places begin to function as normal full-service hotels.
The solutions proposed by the ministry are aimed at combating tax evasion and ensuring fair and transparent operating conditions in the tourist accommodation sector.
The new solutions provide that owners renting one or more properties will have to charge an additional accommodation fee of EUR 1.5 per day. The revenue from this fee is also intended to contribute to the emergency fund for natural disasters.
Bigger changes await owners who own more than three properties intended for short-term rental, as they will be obliged to keep accounting records, pay VAT and other taxes that so far were only paid by hotels and lodgings.
The Ministry has also created a register to which owners will have to register their rented property. Failure to do so will result in a financial penalty of 50% of gross income from the previous year and a minimum amount of EUR 5,000. In case of repeated violation, the penalty will be double.
If the entire building has apartments intended for short-term rental, it will be classified as an accommodation and tourist facility, which will need to obtain a license to conduct such activities.
Of course, it goes without saying that the hotel sector received the proposals for these changes very positively. President of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, Alexandros Vassilikos, said that the new regulation on short-term rentals announced by the government is a first positive step.
“This reflects the solid position of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels on separating ordinary owners who share their wealth to increase their personal income from all those who have been recklessly and unprincipled in business for so many years,” he said.
Vasilikos also emphasizes that the hotel industry is not against the development of this market. However, Greece is currently the only Western country that has not regulated the short-term rental business.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis also says that no one wants to eliminate the AirBnb market, but it is necessary to level the playing field and increase the balance between short-term rental and the hotel services market.
2023-09-28 20:40:55
Komentarze
Ceny w górę
Masakra, wszystko coraz droższe, ceny samochodów do wynajęcia na greckich wyspach też sporo podrożały, paliwo również drogie. To teraz jeszcze podatki w górę, nic tylko płakać i płacić.
No przecież wszystkim wzrastają dochody więc mają z czego.
I tak taniej niż Majorka
Na Majorce czesto za dziecko 8-10 letnie mniej więcej liczą prawie jak za dorosłego. Po drugie, Turcja Egejska prawie tak droga jak Kreta.
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