The imposition of a city tax of at least 1% of the total cost of the accommodation service could no longer be included in the Tourism Law, after the draft of this law could not be voted on September 18 in the Senate plenary, following which it will be considered tacitly adopted, without modifications, and sent to the Chamber of Deputies.
The project provides, among other regulations, that hoteliers will be checked by hidden inspectors, and for Airbnb, registration with the ministry will be required.
The deadline for the tacit adoption of the Tourism Law project was Sunday, September 21, and in the last plenary session of the Senate, the request for the bill to be voted on did not meet the majority of votes, so by the next plenary session, the deadline for debate and adoption will have passed.
In this way, the project will be sent to the deputies without any modification, respectively without the amendment accepted in the specialized committee through which administrative-territorial units, where destination management organizations exist, were to decide, by local council resolution, the amount of the special tax for tourism promotion. The new tax was to be collected by accommodation service providers and could not be less than 1% of the total value of accommodation services, excluding meals and other related services.
At this moment, such a tax is provided as optional in the Tax Code, but through this modification, the tax would have become mandatory.
The relevant ministry did not support the introduction of the tax, so the tacit adoption of the project is a convenient solution for the government. As in the economic, industry, and services committee, in the Senate plenary, the Minister of Tourism, Bogdan Trif, debated in contradiction with opposition senators regarding the organization and representation quota in Destination Management Organizations.
The project includes a series of provisions regarding tourism heritage, with regulations regarding the construction regime in tourist areas, including beaches, and establishes a national system for collecting and interpreting data for a more accurate assessment of tourism revenues. Among the provisions is also the possibility for tourism inspectors to check companies without identifying themselves beforehand, pretending to be tourists, as well as the obligation for owners to register in advance with the Ministry of Tourism to rent properties on specialized sites such as Airbnb.
Source: Profit
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the tacit adoption of the Tourism Law mean?
Tacit adoption occurs when a bill passes one chamber of Parliament (in this case, the Senate) without a formal vote because the legal deadline for debate has expired. The bill moves to the next chamber in its original form.
What are the new requirements for Airbnb hosts in Romania?
Under the new law, property owners must register with the Ministry of Tourism before they can legally rent out their properties on specialized platforms like Airbnb.
How will “mystery shopper” inspections work for hotels?
Tourism inspectors will have the authority to conduct checks without prior identification, acting as regular tourists to evaluate services and compliance more accurately.