Services

No matter whether travel agencies, tour operators, incentive and event agencies, consolidators, airlines, cruiselines, ferries, coach operators, hotels or other tourism enterprises are concerned, the practical handling of tax affairs in the travel business is my profession and my passion.

My services are to be understood as practice-oriented support in your tax affairs, as relevant in co-operation with your accountants and other professionals.

Experience shows that most issues ultimately leading to knotty problems with the tax auditors arise unnoticed in the ordinary course of daily business. Ideally, this can be avoided with careful planning, although Mark Twain (1835-1910) correctly remarked:

"Forecasts are difficult. Especially, when they're about the future."

There is a nearly inexhaustible medley of tax questions arising for businesses in the tourism trade. They buy, sell, procure and broke all kinds of services, in most cases within an international orbit. It is therefore of paramount importance to keep an eye on the latest EU developments (e. g. the reform of the Tour Operator Margin Scheme – TOMS) besides the already complicated national law. Typical topics from the area of normal and margin taxation where I can help are:

  • Margin taxation or normal taxation – distinction between agency, procurement, own business and travel services under TOMS
  • Optimising the margin calculation
  • Avoiding double taxation
  • The right business model: operator/merchant or agent
  • Chain transactions of operators and providers
  • Service fees and handling fees
  • Business travel: management/transaction fees and invoicing
  • Reverse charge in the tourism trade
  • Down payments
  • Cancellations and booking changes
  • "Bed Tax", Air Travel Tax, Spa Tax and other local charges

But other on-going issues such as benefits in kind, trade tax add-backs and leasing have their special features for tourism. Court experience – often on test cases supported by national tourism associations such as DRV, VPR, VDFA – emphasis the need for focused know-how to be made available to your enterprise, too.

TTL provides high level tax advise with the Cologne team of experienced practioners as well as a leading member within the international TTL Net.

RCR Steuerberatung www.rcr-koeln.de
Noll & Hütten Rechtsanwälte www.noll-huetten.de