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AirBnB will collect the tourist tax in 23,000 French municipalities from July 1
After having collected more than €13.5 million from 50 cities in 2017, from July 1, AirBnB will extend the "experience" to more than 23,000 French cities... Other players such as HomeAway should follow the initiative in a context where rental platforms are in the sights of the authorities ...1
The collection of tourist tax has always been a specific exercise. As we know, in France, according to certain studies carried out by many territories, it would in reality only be collected at 10% of its potential. This means that 90% of these taxes would simply not be returned to the communities concerned. This phenomenon has even been accentuated with the massive arrival of "non-market" rental offers via holiday rental platforms. By “non-market” offers, we are thinking of offers offered by private individuals on “unclassified” furnished accommodation.
This evaporation of tax was enough to worry the authorities in search of constant financial means. Created at the beginning of the last century to finance the construction of tourist infrastructures, the tourist tax is a tax under the pedal of which there is still a lot of leeway.
Local authorities - subject to the "half-dry" regime of their finances - are therefore very attentive to all initiatives tending to bring money into their coffers.
Vacation rental platforms (for several months in the sights of the French authorities) have understood this concern and are competing in initiatives to improve their image with the authorities, whether local or national.
In this field, AirBnB acts as a good student, even "first in class" by announcing that it will now extend the automatic collection of the tourist tax to the 23,000 French municipalities (out of 36,000) where it has offers of lease. It thus intends to increase its total collected from €13.5 million in 2017 (for the 50 largest French cities) to just over €20 million, or €7 million more for the other 23,000. A great effort which should extend to other cities because, as the map below shows, strong tourist areas such as the Atlantic coast or even the Center of France, Alsace and Burgundy are not yet totally concerned.
Vacation rental platforms (for several months in the sights of the French authorities) have understood this concern and are competing in initiatives to improve their image with the authorities, whether local or national.
In this field, AirBnB acts as a good student, even "first in class" by announcing that it will now extend the automatic collection of the tourist tax to the 23,000 French municipalities (out of 36,000) where it has offers of lease. It thus intends to increase its total collected from €13.5 million in 2017 (for the 50 largest French cities) to just over €20 million, or €7 million more for the other 23,000. A great effort which should extend to other cities because, as the map below shows, strong tourist areas such as the Atlantic coast or even the Center of France, Alsace and Burgundy are not yet totally concerned.
How it works?
According to AirBnB, an individual renting his accommodation on Airbnb will no longer have to take any steps since the platform will automatically collect all of the tourist tax when paying the traveler. Finally ... he will have nothing more to do if his property is rented exclusively via AirBnB. Otherwise, he will have to continue to declare his tourist taxes collected if he receives reservations directly or from other sites such as HomeAway or Booking, for example, since the latter do not yet seem willing to follow suit. AirBnB.
According to AirBnB, an individual renting his accommodation on Airbnb will no longer have to take any steps since the platform will automatically collect all of the tourist tax when paying the traveler. Finally ... he will have nothing more to do if his property is rented exclusively via AirBnB. Otherwise, he will have to continue to declare his tourist taxes collected if he receives reservations directly or from other sites such as HomeAway or Booking, for example, since the latter do not yet seem willing to follow suit. AirBnB.
With regard to so-called "classified furnished" rentals or with regard to hotel rooms (which AirBnB also now distributes), AirBnB will only collect the share relating to the "unclassified furnished" rate. This means that the owner will, in this case, have to calculate the difference between this "AirBnB tourist tax" and the one he actually owes to his town hall to pay him the missing sums.
Once these sums have been deducted at the time of payment, AirBnB will keep them in its accounts until their transfer to the town halls in January 2019... from there to think that these sums could be productive of interest, there is only a step that some elected officials are already beginning to take.
Once these sums have been deducted at the time of payment, AirBnB will keep them in its accounts until their transfer to the town halls in January 2019... from there to think that these sums could be productive of interest, there is only a step that some elected officials are already beginning to take.
Source : hello
