minsi
New Member
Posts: 4
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Post by minsi on Mar 6, 2012 18:30:15 GMT 1
Can anyone advise please?
We have owned a house in Orebic for nearly 5 years, it is privately owned, we do not rent it out, and we only spend maybe a month a year there. Our sons and daughter take it for maybe a month, other than that, it is empty.
When we stay there with friends and family we pay our local tourist tax, but to date have asked various people what we should pay in annual taxes and no-one has been very helpful!
Whilst it is great not to have been paying taxes, I know it will hit us hard as we will no doubt have a fair bit of back tax to pay. What are the rates of tax for a foreigner using their house as a holiday home, and to whom is it paid?? Even our lawyer was delightfully vague on the subject!
Any advice gratefully received.
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Post by crojoe on Mar 6, 2012 18:39:59 GMT 1
Can anyone advise please? We have owned a house in Orebic for nearly 5 years, it is privately owned, we do not rent it out, and we only spend maybe a month a year there. Our sons and daughter take it for maybe a month, other than that, it is empty. When we stay there with friends and family we pay our local tourist tax, but to date have asked various people what we should pay in annual taxes and no-one has been very helpful! Whilst it is great not to have been paying taxes, I know it will hit us hard as we will no doubt have a fair bit of back tax to pay. What are the rates of tax for a foreigner using their house as a holiday home, and to whom is it paid?? Even our lawyer was delightfully vague on the subject! Any advice gratefully received. All you have to pay is local council taxes. If you haven't rented the house to yourselves legally then you don't owe any taxes. What for, as you own the place and only spent 1 month or so in it. If you don't get a bill then you don't owe anything. My council bill (in the name of my landlord) comes each month and we just pay it (biut I live there all year long). The only other bill you might get if you actually own a TV is the TV licence, If you don't, then you don't owe anything.
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minsi
New Member
Posts: 4
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Post by minsi on Mar 6, 2012 19:27:33 GMT 1
Thanks Crojoe
When you say council taxes, do you mean local tourist taxes?
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Post by crojoe on Mar 6, 2012 19:56:46 GMT 1
Thanks Crojoe When you say council taxes, do you mean local tourist taxes? No, the tax for garbage collection, fixing local utilities, road and I guess paying the councils salary (although none have ever come to see me or ask me for my opinion). It normally is about 100+ kuna a month. Of course if there is no garbage collection or similar service in your area then maybe in your area they don't have this council tax. We get it as a monthly bill, as well as for TV. Besides that there are no other taxes except for business (and that’s a whole other story). We don't get taxed a tourist tax, so maybe what I pay as a local council tax is factored into you're tourist tax? But I don't think you should be too overly worried.
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minsi
New Member
Posts: 4
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Post by minsi on Mar 6, 2012 21:45:12 GMT 1
Many thanks - that helps knowing that I won't get a heavy fist on the door, as we have over other issues brought about by a difficult neighbour!!!
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Post by crojoe on Mar 6, 2012 22:28:01 GMT 1
Many thanks - that helps knowing that I won't get a heavy fist on the door, as we have over other issues brought about by a difficult neighbour!!! As a forigner I can't promise you anything. If you have a difficult neighbour then who knows. I have great neighbours who leave us alone, although we're always saying hello, exchange cakes once in a while and friends at a distance.
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Post by zvekov on Mar 7, 2012 11:00:04 GMT 1
i will imagine you have to pay from here on in.. rather than any back taxes...but it is a fairly low council tax...charged by the square metre....And may also depend on if you are in an urban area and the municipalities ability to collect them... see 3.3 www.porezna-uprava.hr/en/porezi/v_poreza.asp?id=b01d1
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Post by crojoe on Mar 7, 2012 12:05:22 GMT 1
I always find it ironic to hear about some Croat neighbors being so hostile or unfriendly towards foreign property owners when it wasn't actually you who sold the property, but their fellow Croat (former neighbor). It's as though you should be ashamed for buying he property. I don't understand why some of these neighbors just don't get this fact. Some must have a major problem with antagonism, greed, nationalistic tendencies or messed up in the head.
I can understand if a foreign investment company came in and purchased a bunch of land then built a bunch of apartments or holiday complex in their village and then sold them off to foreigners, but just buying a private property is no different then them buying a property, minus the fact your not 100% Croat blood.
Like they try and hype up how many foreigners are buying Croatian property but then don't seem to mention about all the Croats selling and making loads of money, not paying taxes on that sale and so forth, conning foreigners, selling property without proper paperwork etc. What did they say; they estimated that about 70,000 properties have been sold? That means 70,000 Croats have made money, directly or indirectly through the sale of a property. No doubt a few foreigners (mention no names) have made a tidy little sum.
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Post by JudeC on Mar 9, 2012 11:24:17 GMT 1
You will need to pay council tax but you need an OIB number to do it. If you have one you need to go to your municipal office and sign up. You can then pay yearly. There also appears to be some kind of reduction if you are not a permanent resident - recognising that your property is only used for a couple of months a year. I don't think you back pay on this but it is fairly cheap (I compare to the UK). When I went in July they wouldn't bill me until December and then annually. It is definitely different to the tourist tax.
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