German tour operators have become victim of irrational decision making on part of the fiscal authorities, a fact which is threatening the existence of some of them. It is from North Rhine-Westphalia that trouble is looming for our industry: the local fiscal authority has taken, retrospectively from 2008, the purchase of hotel accommodation as a basis of assessment for trade tax. Tourism industry considers this not only absurd from a professional perspective, as the purchase of hotel accommodation is part of current assets and not of fixed assets. It is also ludicrous from a political point of view: neither in the Trade Tax Act of 2008 nor in the legislative process was there any talk of applying the reform to tour operators as well.
If this misinterpretation is not corrected, the companies belonging to our industry will in the future be burdened with an additional amount of about 230 million euros per year. Since trade taxes are to be levied with retrospective effect, there is even talk of additional payments of a total of 1.4 billion euros. Burdens of this magnitude will be shaking the industry's economic foundations!