In the first eight months of the year a total of 2,152 tax-liable persons registered anew for performing rental services. Foto: Reuters
In the first eight months of the year a total of 2,152 tax-liable persons registered anew for performing rental services. Foto: Reuters

At the start of last December, Slovenia's Financial Administration (FURS) issued a call for owners to report revenues from renting out real estate for tourist purposes. The administration did obtain information regarding the revenues, but gave owners the possibility until the end of January this year to register on their own and avoid paying any fines. Fines can range from 400 to 30,000 euros.

How did they obtain the figures?
FURS affirms that it obtained information on both private individuals and legal entities which received revenue from renting out real estate for tourist purposes in Slovenia and abroad. The administration, reportedly, also has all the information on renting out real estate through web portals such as Airbnb and Booking. However, the administration has not revealed how it obtained the figures.

The deadline for home owners to register expired at the end of January. Inspectors did not issue any fines in that period, but did offer assistance to owners to regulate their status. The initial reaction was poor and only 374 tax-liable persons reported their renting activities before the deadline. However, the number of registered started to grow once FURS stepped up its supervision.
Until the end of August, inspectors issued fines amounting to a total of 237,000 euros and 56 warnings. An additional 230,000 euros in tax was charged to owners who additionally declared their revenues since the public call.

Thousands register anew
FURS reports that since the start of their tightened supervision, from the beginning of February until the end of April, an additional 973 tax-liable persons registered their renting activities. The administration adds that the activity of renting out real estate for tourist purposes is a seasonal sector. In the first eight months of the year a total of 2,152 tax-liable persons registered anew for performing rental services. The figure is 30 percent higher compared to the same period last year, and 53 percent higher compared to 2016.
According to FURS, there are currently 6,949 tax-liable persons registered to perform rental services in the tax registry. 4,145 of them are private individuals while 2,804 are legal entities.