President of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels (CHC), Giorgos Tsakiris says tax evasion from the tourism industry will cost the country 1.5 billion euros in lost revenue in 2014.
Tsakiris links the lost revenue to the failure to prosecute or tax short-term rentals or small lodgings. 80 per cent of those rentals do not have legal certification according to industry data, and is a major problem for legally operating hotel who have to foot large tax bills and comply to certain regulations.
Mr Tsakiris made the comments while attending an international tourism forum on the effect of the new international trend of “Sharing Economy” in Greece.
Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni gave the opening speech at the forum where representatives of the tourism industry presented data showing the phenomenon’s negative impact in the country.
Source: Greek Reporter Greece