In the new tax package, the Government has satisfied the cities and municipalities that have been asking for an increase in the tax ceiling on vacation homes for a long time. The new range will be from 0.60 to 5 euros per square meter of usable area, and now it was from 0.66 to 1.99 euros. It can be expected that most local authorities will raise the tax to the maximum amount, which will be a strong blow to the pocket of the owners of cottages and apartments.

According to the Local Taxes Act, any building, part of a building or apartment that is used occasionally or seasonally is considered a vacation home.
- So, the main criterion for determining the status of a vacation home is the fact that the property is used occasionally or seasonally or has another purpose. Accordingly, a real estate that is used all year round is not considered a vacation home, regardless of whether the owner uses it for his residence or it is on permanent lease, as well as real estate suitable for housing that is not used at all, writes Tportal.

Back in the early 1990s, the range for the taxation of cottages and apartments was established from five to 15 kuna, that is, from 0.66 to 1.99 euros, and it has not changed until now.
That came to an end as part of the current tax reform. The government abolished the surtax on local self-government units, and in order to avoid large financial losses, it allowed them to determine the amount of income tax themselves. In addition, it enabled them to increase the income from taxes on cottages and apartments by raising the upper limit of taxation to five euros.
The aforementioned tax changes will come into effect on January 1 next year, which means that vacation home owners will have to pay more. Tportal has calculated exactly how much the owners will pay more.
According to the current range of taxes from 0.66 to 1.99 euros for a cottage or apartment of 50 square meters, which most people have, the owner paid a minimum of 33 euros, and a maximum of 100 euros, depending on how generous the city or municipal fathers were.

Next year, the luckier ones will pay 30 euros, and where the tax is five euros, which can be expected in most local units, the owner will have to pay 250 euros a year.
For a cottage or apartment of 30 square meters, the maximum tax is 60 euros per year, and next year it will be 150 euros or even 110 euros more.
For a cottage or apartment of 70 square meters, the maximum tax is now 140 euros per year, and next year it will be 350 euros or even 210 euros more.
Owners of 100-square-meter vacation homes currently allocate a maximum of 200 euros for taxes, and according to the new calculation, this will cost them 500 euros per year - even 300 euros more than this year.