Croatia vignette increases for 2018 (?)

[Roberto]

Just read this on an Italian forum, it seems real (?)


http://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2017_08_78_1922.html

Increases in Croatia navigation tax for 2018 range from about 50% for short term stays (8 days), to >700% for the yearly tax paid by bigger boats.
Exemple
12-15m class, 1 year tax for2017 about 170euro equivalent, for 2018 tax about 1050euro equivalent.

I do not speak Croatian, the link seems to be the local Official Gazette..

 

[sailaboutvic]

Just read this on an Italian forum, it seems real (?)


http://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2017_08_78_1922.html

Increases in Croatia navigation tax for 2018 range from about 50% for short term stays (8 days), to >700% for the yearly tax paid by bigger boats.
Exemple
12-15m class, 1 year tax for2017 about 170euro equivalent, for 2018 tax about 1050euro equivalent.

I do not speak Croatian, the link seems to be the local Official Gazette..

Surely not up from 170 to 1050 .

 

[Roberto]

Among the various images there ks this one, I cannot vouch for its accuracy but a quick look seems to:indicate concordance of figures with the Narodni gazette link above; it should be easy nto check with personal figures for 2017

 

[sailaboutvic]

Among the various images there ks this one, I cannot vouch for its accuracy but a quick look seems to:indicate concordance of figures with the Narodni gazette link above; it should be easy nto check with personal figures for 2017


View attachment 66321

Just shot off an email to someone who may have the answer , I report back once I got a reply .

 

[RichardS]

Among the various images there ks this one, I cannot vouch for its accuracy but a quick look seems to:indicate concordance of figures with the Narodni gazette link above; it should be easy nto check with personal figures for 2017


View attachment 66321

The table refers to the Sojourn Tax / Tourist tax and is nothing to do with boats specifically but applies to all visitors to Croatia including those staying in hotels or holiday homes.

The current annual charge is indeed Kuna 1,100 which is what we pay. If the increase to 5,800 is genuine that is a massive increase and, like ordinary tourists, we will start paying in short burst on each visit.

Richard

 

[BrianH]

Even if the new rate is for the Sojourn tax it highlights the inequitable situation that a tourist, per-person-per-night tax is applied on the length of the vessel and, as the Umag HM once told me, on the potential guests I could receive. The crew list confirms that I am single-handed and would be updated by anyone who joins me en route. An increase from Kn 500 to Kn 1200 for a month's visit for a single person is disproportionate.

 

[Roberto]

The table refers to the Sojourn Tax / Tourist tax and is nothing to do with boats specifically but applies to all visitors to Croatia including those staying in hotels or holiday homes.

The current annual charge is indeed Kuna 1,100 which is what we pay. If the increase to 5,800 is genuine that is a massive increase and, like ordinary tourists, we will start paying in short burst on each visit.

Richard

Hello, could you please explain why the tax brackets are defined by classes of boat length ?

 

[BrianH]

Hello, could you please explain why the tax brackets are defined by classes of boat length ?

As my message #6 implies, sojourn tax was always applied by ship's length. See

http://croatia.hr/Documents/719/Nautica-new-legal-regulations-FAQ.pdf

 

[Roberto]

As my message #6 implies, sojourn tax was always applied by ship's length. See

http://croatia.hr/Documents/719/Nautica-new-legal-regulations-FAQ.pdf

Thanks, so basically someone staying the whole year will pay that x-fold increase, otherwise one can pay a smaller fee if he goes in/out of the country every, say, 8 days, or whatever.
The difference seems to be that a frequent visitor now should prefer paying every time he enters the country, instead of a lump payment for the whole year, correct?

If I plan to go sailing there for one month, 12-15m boat, according to the table (if correct) last year I paid 600kuna, in 2018 I will have to pay 1600kuna, correct ?

Thanks, r

 

[RichardS]

Hello, could you please explain why the tax brackets are defined by classes of boat length ?

The table shows how the Sojourn Tax is applied to boats. As Barnacle says it's unfair as it assumes a nominal number of people no matter how many people are actually on the boat. Ordinary tourists pay a per head amount.

Richard

 

[RichardS]

Thanks, so basically someone staying the whole year will pay that x-fold increase, otherwise one can pay a smaller fee if he goes in/out of the country every, say, 8 days, or whatever.
The difference seems to be that a frequent visitor now should prefer paying every time he enters the country, instead of a lump payment for the whole year, correct?

If I plan to go sailing there for one month, 12-15m boat, according to the table (if correct) last year I paid 600kuna, in 2018 I will have to pay 1600kuna, correct ?

Thanks, r

That's right. At the moment we pay 1,100 annually and avoid the trips to the HM to pay for each visit but, in future, if we're going for 8 days we will pay the 400. You could make a fair number of short trips and pay much less than the new annual charge

Richard

 

[BrianH]

Thanks, so basically someone staying the whole year will pay that x-fold increase, otherwise one can pay a smaller fee if he goes in/out of the country every, say, 8 days, or whatever.
The difference seems to be that a frequent visitor now should prefer paying every time he enters the country, instead of a lump payment for the whole year, correct?

If I plan to go sailing there for one month, 12-15m boat, according to the table (if correct) last year I paid 600kuna, in 2018 I will have to pay 1600kuna, correct ?

Thanks, r

That would be my understanding without calculating each and every case of coming and going.

In all my years cruising Croatia the 'Kurtaxe' that morphed into the Sojourn tax was applied for the period intended to stay on entering. Any longer and the difference was applied when clearing out - but not if shorter. The Vignette, a separate fee, was a 12 month one (extending into the next year) then changed to a calendar year.

So, on my first visit in the current year, usually in May or June, I would pay the vignette fee (one year) plus a month for my sojourn tax period. Later in the year, usually September, I would cross again from Italy and pay another sojourn tax period, usually two weeks - the vignette, of course, would still be valid.

 

[alexsailor]

Good evening "Croatia lovers"
Yes, it is true. The increase was signed on 4th of September 2017.
It is published in narodne novine (click for link what "narodne novine" is) so it is official.
For a 43 footer you'll pay 1050 eur instead of 170 eur for one year.

Of course if you just cruise there for a month than the prices are lower. You can pay up to 8 days, 15 days, 30 days, 90 days or as said, one year.

The increase is crazy. But maybe now some of you forum members will see why I keep writing about crazy rip-off Croatian and its people.

 

[Roberto]

Thank you all, I think I see
There is an increase in taxation, not the vignette but the "Sojourn/tourist tax" which is detemined by counting the number of days one boat of given size spends with persons onboard in Croatia. Empty boat (people outside Croatia) = no sojourn tax. The longer one stays, the (more than proportionnally) higher the tax.
It seems to be more a sort of progressive taxation depending on length of continuous period spent in the Country, doesn t it? The increase in longer period stays is notably higher than for shorter periods (even repeated).
Is this a correct reading?

 

[alexsailor]

the longer you stay the more you pay. yes.
but you see, croatia is home base for many German, Austrian, Slovenian boat owners who keep their boat in croatian marians. and the only logical thing was to pay for a year...

 

[Roberto]

the longer you stay the more you pay. yes.
but you see, croatia is home base for many German, Austrian, Slovenian boat owners who keep their boat in croatian marians. and the only logical thing was to pay for a year...

Thanks, I am not personnally concerned by these changes, though my father (80 this year) and his friends on the east coast of Italy still are, I am just trying to gather correct information to pass on to them so they know what to expect.

 

[BrianH]

Thank you all, I think I see
There is an increase in taxation, not the vignette but the "Sojourn/tourist tax" which is detemined by counting the number of days one boat of given size spends with persons onboard in Croatia. Empty boat (people outside Croatia) = no sojourn tax. The longer one stays, the (more than proportionnally) higher the tax.
It seems to be more a sort of progressive taxation depending on length of continuous period spent in the Country, doesn t it? The increase in longer period stays is notably higher than for shorter periods (even repeated).
Is this a correct reading?

It closely emulates the typical tourist tax now prevalent in most tourist areas where visitors pay an overnight tax based on their length of stay and this one has an advanced payment system with progressive reduction per night for longer periods.

What we don't yet know, is if the vignette cost will remain the same for 2018 ... plenty of time to raise that too.

There was a time when the original Kurtaxe (copied from other countries - mostly German-speaking, hence the name - to raise funds for facilities in those tourist places - often Alpine - where people went for a health cure), was only applied on crews over-nighting in marinas or on concessionary buoys when it was per-person-per-night. Realising they were missing all those in non-concessionary anchorages, it was relatively recently applied when declaring into the country.

The first year I was warned that if I was controlled by police patrol, or on clearing out, after the declared and paid-for period, I would be heavily fined. The following year, I was informed that the difference would be charged when clearing out. I have only cleared earlier than paid for but, to be expected, with no rebate or credit for my next visit.


.

 

[sailaboutvic]

So what being said here ? 12 mts boat would be paying 66 euros for an 8 day stay , if that's the case it be another place boats will be leaving .

 

[RichardS]

So what being said here ? 12 mts boat would be paying 66 euros for an 8 day stay , if that's the case it be another place boats will be leaving .

It looks like that Vic. An 8 day stay for a 12m boat is currently EUR30 and that appears to be doubling to EUR60. It's a 100% increase but it's still not a massive amount of money.

However, the annual rate appears to be going up by 500% rather than the 100% being applied to the lower rates. Unless you intend to be there for much of the year I can't see how the annual charge makes sense anymore.

There's also the question of whether many boaters are actually paying this tax anyway. Obviously hotel tourists have no choice because it's included with their bill but I've spoken to many boaters who say things like "I've kept my boat on the Croatian register so I don't have to pay the Sojourn tax" which is completely wrong ..... but they are clearly never actually paying it. Even Croatians who have Croatian registered boats have to pay the tax as the Croatian Government aren't allowed to discriminate against visiting EU citizens but I really wonder how many Croatians actually bother to pay?

We sometimes see the HM visiting our marina. He presumably goes through his records of those boats registered to that marina and can check whether all the boats registered in the marina have a valid Vignette (annual boat licence). If any boats don't have the Vignette then they could be fined. However, the Sojourn tax is only payable if you are actually on the boat and my marina have no idea whether I'm on my boat or not so there's no easy way the HM can verify correct payment unless he visits every boat, and even then I might be out shopping so not on board.

Of course, once you leave the marina and try to check into another marina or try to leave the Country then they will ask for the Sojourn and Vignette so you could then be in trouble if you do not have the Sojourn certificate .... but if you just anchor like us I can't see any way that the Sojourn tax can be enforced unless you are stopped by the Marine Policia on a random basis, which I've never heard of.

It would not surprise me if more boaters just dodge paying the Sojourn tax and the annual tax take goes down rather than up.

Richard

 

[BrianH]

It looks like that Vic. An 8 day stay for a 12m boat is currently EUR30 and that appears to be doubling to EUR60. It's a 100% increase but it's still not a massive amount of money.

8 days is nothing considering the coastline and islands of Croatia, one needs much longer to even scratch the surface. Plus the fact that the sojourn tax is very much the minor part of the total cost for entering the country for a visiting boat where the vignette fee features far more prominently.

It would not surprise me if more boaters just dodge paying the Sojourn tax and the annual tax take goes down rather than up.

The reality of those such as Vic and myself who are not resident but visitors and who, by the necessary clearing in and out, cannot avoid the fees and taxes. Nor can the real cash-cows, the charterers.

You have a point about revenue decreasing as costs rise. There was a time when I would spend the summer cruising Croatia but those days are long gone as the entry fees/taxes, marina costs and buoyage fields have increased. And I am not alone, many in my Italian marina no longer cruise there at all and those that do spend a much shorter time there.