Airbnb Must Share Data, Collect Taxes, EU Court Says

EU member countries are within their rights to require Airbnb Inc. and other short-term rental intermediaries to disclose rental contract information to the tax authorities, and to collect taxes when facilitating the payment of rent, the European Court of Justice ruled Thursday.

But requiring nonresident intermediaries to appoint a local tax representative constitutes “a disproportionate restriction on the freedom to provide services,” the court added in a press release announcing the ruling.

The ruling comes at the request of the Tribunale amministrativo del Lazio (Regional Administrative Court, Lazio, Italy) where Airbnb seeks the annulment of a new tax regime for ...