With many travelers switching from hotel rooms to whole apartments or homes being listed for rent on the site Airbnb and rivals, Greek hotels want the government to impose taxes on the competition.
A Grant Thornton survey for the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels reportedly found that the rental taxes could have brought in more than one billion euros ($1.2 billion) from 2015, when the Radical Left SYRIZA took power, until this year.
That was based on the Airbnb and other site rentals such as Homeaway being assessed the same taxes that hotels must pay and charge customers. Earnings from short-term property rentals have this year exceeded 1.7 billion euros according to the estimates, said Kathimerini.
The government had been contemplating heavy taxes for Airbnb and other sites offering short-term leasing but hasn’t done so yet.
The study showed that if those properties had the same taxes that would be paid online to deter tax evasion that it would bring the state at least 341 million euros ($409.39 million) annually during an ongoing economic crisis.
The hoteliers said they are being put at a disadvantage even with consecutive record-breaking tourism years as they can’t offer apartments or multiple rooms which are often for cheaper rates.
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
