Armed with data provided by Airbnb, the Brussels tax authorities are issuing fines and demanding retroactive payment of the city tax from hundreds of private individuals, according to reports in L’Echo and Le Soir on Wednesday.
Some individuals are surprised by bills amounting to thousands of euros.
Le Soir estimates that between €1.5 and €2 million could be recouped for the 2022 tax year alone.
This large-scale regulation follows a legal dispute between Airbnb and the Brussels Region, which concluded at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in 2022, L’Echo explains. The ECJ ruled that the December 2016 Brussels ordinance on tourism accommodation tax does not breach EU law.
One section of this ordinance requires intermediaries, including Airbnb, to provide tax authorities with details about operators, tourist accommodation units, and the number of overnight stays. Airbnb ultimately complied, giving the regional administration the necessary data to enforce regulations in the capital.
The 2016 ordinance mandates a €1,000 fine for operators who have not registered their tourist accommodation. In addition, there is a retroactive “city tax” of €3 per night for home-based accommodations.
