Airbnb to hand over €5.5m in tourist tax to Amsterdam
Tourist rental site Airbnb expects to hand over €5.5m in tourist tax to Amsterdam city council this year, the company said on Monday.
In February, Airbnb agreed to collect the 5% tourist tax payable on holiday accommodation and transfer it to the city council. This used to be the responsibility of landlords themselves, but few actually bothered.
If the €5.5m is an accurate representation of how much tourists spend on Airbnb holiday lets, it would take the total bill to some €110m. The company has refused to confirm the figure, the Telegraaf says. Airbnb charges a 3% commission on each let.
There are around 9,000 Amsterdam apartments advertised on the website. The city council has set strict conditions for people who rent out their homes via sites like Airbnb. Social housing is excluded and there is a maximum letting period of six weeks a year.
Last year, Amsterdam generated €48m from tourist tax, most of which came via the city’s luxury hotels.
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