REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Travel website Booking.com (BKNG.O) has agreed to pay about 94 million euros ($100.25 million) to settle a tax dispute in Italy, Genoa prosecutors said on Friday.
Italy's Guardia di Finanza tax police alleged in June 2021 that Booking.com evaded 153 million euros of value added tax (VAT) in connection with holiday rentals from 2013 to 2019.
Last November, Dutch magistrates accepted a European investigation order (OIE) sent by Italy allowing Italian prosecutors to question two former Booking.com chief financial officers as part of the investigation.
Private accommodation sites which are not professionally run often have no VAT number, and Italian tax authorities believe the online travel agency should in such cases act as a withholding agent, collecting tax.
In another similar case involving a company's responsibility to collect tax on behalf of tax authorities, an Italian judge on Monday seized 780 million euros from short-term rentals platform Airbnb (ABNB.O).
Persons:
Dado Ruvic, Booking.com, Italy's, Toby Sterling, Alvise Armellini, Aurora Ellis
Organizations:
REUTERS, Apple, Facebook, Italian Revenue Agency, Prosecutors, U.S ., Holdings, Union, Thomson
Locations:
Italy, Genoa, Booking.com, Netherlands, Friday's, Italian, Delaware, Amsterdam