A court in Italy has ordered the confiscation of €779.5 million from short-term rental giant Airbnb due to possible tax evasion.
As “European Truth” writes, this is reported BBC.
Prosecutors say the company failed to pay taxes on landlords, who in Italy are required to pay a 21% tax on their income, on about 3.7 billion euros in rental income.
Three people who held senior positions at Airbnb from 2017 to 2021 are also under investigation, prosecutors said in a statement.
But the company said it was surprised and disappointed by the actions announced by the Italian prosecutor’s office. Airbnb spokesman Christopher Nutley noted that the company’s European headquarters has been working to resolve the issue with the Italian tax authority since June.
“We are confident that we acted fully in accordance with the law and intend to exercise our rights in this matter,” he said.
The firm argued that Italy’s tax requirements were contrary to the European Union’s principle of freedom to provide services in the 27 EU countries. The EU’s highest court later ruled that Airbnb must comply.
In recent years, Italian authorities have stepped up their scrutiny of the tax practices of large companies such as Airbnb, which has operated in the country since 2008.
Last month, Italian politicians said they planned to step up the crackdown on landlords who don’t pay taxes on short-term rentals through platforms such as Airbnb.
It was previously reported that the Portuguese government is going to cancel tax breaks for foreign residents of Portugal, which was introduced when the country tried to attract specialists in some sectors after the financial crisis.
Before this, in 2023, the Costa government also announced restrictions on short-term rentals on Airbnb and changes to the so-called “golden visa” scheme (a residence permit in exchange for investment in the country).
It was also reported about the housing shortage and high prices, which are a big problem for Berlin.
Subscribe to “European Truth”!
If you notice an error, select the required text and press Ctrl+Enter to report it to the editors.
#Italy #confiscates #million #Airbnb #tax #evasion
2023-11-07 05:42:37
