Hoteliers in Greece Call for Changes to Taxation Draft Law

Hellenic Chamber of Hotels President Alexandros Vassilikos.

Greek hoteliers reiterated their call for their exclusion from the newly proposed “climate crisis resilience charge” after National Economy and Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis tabled a draft bill which is open for public consultation until November 27.

The draft law includes reforms that aim to tackle tax evasion and at the same time ensure fair taxation, said the minister. Among others, the bill is replacing the current stayover tax with the “climate crisis resilience charge”.

In response, Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (HCH) President Alexandros Vassilikos is proposing that the resilience charge be implemented only in periods of high demand.

“We have stressed that any tax introduced, especially at a time of very high operating costs for hotels and with tough international competition, can create a problem to both the competitiveness of the product and the sustainability of businesses,” said Vassilikos, underlining the importance of safeguarding the Greek tourist product’s “value for money”.

Greek hoteliers want stricter rules for Airbnb-style rentals

At the same time, hoteliers are arguing that short-term rental measures proposed in the new bill do not address the problem holistically and are calling for a “serious regulatory framework for such activity” which will include placing a time limit on Airbnb operations.

Among others, the HCH is proposing:

– entire buildings rented out for short-term tourist accommodation or residential complexes be defined as tourist accommodation facilities and thus be required to obtain a license

– the imposition of a set of operational standards that will fully ensure health and safety conditions and to protect the quality of the product offered

– limiting short-term rentals activity for a set period of 60 days maximum.

Newly-elected Hellenic Hoteliers Federation (POX) President Ioannis Hatzis also called on the government to reconsider the possibility of imposing taxes on tourism activity.