Mystery hotel guests probing VAT dodgers

The General Secretariat for Public Revenue is investigating 1,545 hotels as regards their occupancy rates and prices. Where required, the inspectors will pose as guests to establish whether what hotels declare in terms of occupancy figures and the rates they charge are factual and whether the correct taxes are being paid.

An extensive check on accommodation booking websites such as Booking.com, TripAdvisor and others has already been carried out to monitor the hotels' occupancy rates. The secretariat's inspectors have also been calling hotels, posing as potential guests, and asking about available rooms to find out what the average prices are.

When the first provisional figures are all in, the inspectors will calculate the value-added tax due, and if any significant difference with the declared VAT is uncovered they will conduct immediate checks on the enterprise's...