Majority of Eindhoven Airbnbs don't pay tourist tax

Most of the Eindhoven residents who rent out their homes through Airbnb do not pay tourist tax, according to ANG, a specialized company hired to inspect Airbnb accommodation in the Noord-Brabant city. This means that the city treasury is missing out on a large sum of income, NOS reports.

Over the past month ANG contacted more than a hundred Airbnb landlords and inspected 38 Airbnb locations. "Only 30 to 40 addresses paid the sum of 3.50 euros per person per night", the company said.

Eindhoven counts between 215 and 250 Airbnb locations. "But the number is increasing and flexible", Vincent Maltha of ANG said, according to the broadcaster. "Moreover, there is a peak when there is a big event." If 215 Airbnb accommodations rent to just one person per night the entire year, Eindhoven is missing out on around 300 thousand euros of tourist tax. ANG expects that the actual amount is higher.

Not all Airbnb locations have been checked yet. This is because they are often difficult to track down - the exact address is only visible after you make a booking. ANG workers therefore try to link photos to locations, but that is not always possible. "You can not find an Airbnb with only a room with a bed and closed curtains on the photo", Maltha said.

According to the researchers, there are various reasons why Airbnb landlords don't pay tourist tax. Some say that the municipality is not clear enough about where and how they should report, others that the municipality wants too high an amount.

This inspection was done at the insistence of Eindhovens Hotel Overleg. The hotel owners want equal treatment when it comes to tourist tax and safety requirements.