Criticized, prohibited – and lucrative: bed tax flushes million in city funds – n-tv.de NEWS

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 Saturday, July 11, 2015

 
 
 

 
 They are called City tax, tax culture and tourism NSR: bed taxes bring some communities a high sums. But not everywhere does the smoothly. The bed tax is controversial – not only in hotels but also in court .
 

 
 

The tourism in Germany is booming. This also benefits the communities: With bed tax they secure growing revenue. Only Berlin and Hamburg, the largest cities in the Republic, a total of 40 million euros last year took an order. Nationwide at the top is the capital: In 2014, the bed tax in Berlin washed EUR 29.2 million in the coffers. For this year, the Senate expects 35 million euros – in administrative expenses of 1.2 million euros. As a rule, the guest pays the hotel bill five percent of the room rate as a bed tax.

Even cities like Bremen, Weimar and Freiburg earn on tourism directly. Some others, however, are going to repay the money, because the tax is not legally controversial. Depending on the formulation, some courts have stock, others are not.

Cologne Culture Tax was banned

More clarity may implement a procedure at the Federal Fiscal Court (BFH) in Munich. The BFH will decide on Wednesday about the Bremer city tax and the cultural and tourist tax of Hamburg. As a bed tax applies pioneering the metropolis Cologne, a culture tax decided in 2010. After the prohibition of such a tax for business by the Federal Administrative Court, the city had to repay money and rework.

Since last December a new statute applies. This year, to get together eight million euros, as city spokeswoman Inge Schürmann said. “The money will be put formally in the budget, but it is not called cultural tax.” The cultural budget has been increased in recent years and it is right to involve the hoteliers in mind. “In Cologne benefit the hotels to a high degree of municipally financed infrastructure:. Opera, museums, exhibition” Despite the delivery of overnight stays had increased, Schürmann said.

Hotels fighting the bed tax

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Also, Dortmund had to repay after a ruling money: 2.4 million euros in taxes, as the head of the city treasury, Georg Bollmann said. He suspects that the majority of the sum at the hoteliers stayed because the guests were no longer track. The new Dortmund statute now provides even 7.5 per cent instead of 5 per cent. 1.2 million euros will take so this year Dortmund. “We will continue to fight against the bed tax,” said Stefanie Heckel, the spokeswoman of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association. “We have the Constitution on our side.” The Association considers it discriminatory that a single branch is selected for a control. After his counting tourists have nationwide pay a City Tax in 18 municipalities.

Hamburg expects this year as 2014, 11 million euros from the tax. Buzz about the one million mark expect Bremen (2.4 million euros) and Freiburg (2.1 million euros). Potsdam expects nearly one million. Modest it comes to Flensburg and Eisenach with around 300,000 euros each. Weimer expects good half a million euros. Dresden has taken in the past year 4.2 million euros with its new tax culture, to judge them declared invalid. 275,000 Euro has been reimbursed the city as city spokeswoman Nora Jantzen announced. However, Dresden has taken a second attempt: Since July 1, the city now will charge an extra tax

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  Source: n-tv.de
 

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