So 2 months back Airbnb decided that I should pay VAT in Germany. Initially, one of their agents agreed it was a system error and made me sign the US W-2 form since my payout account is in the US. When they still didn't change it, I contacted them and after a few back and forth they said that since I called and logged in from a German phone, they decided that I am a resident here and I should pay VAT here. They then replied with the following; "Please be advised that VAT is charged based on a system known as Country of Residence (COR).
Our system takes several pieces of information from within your account (your verified ID, payout currency, phone number, etc.) and determines the country you most likely reside in." I told them that my ID is not German, my payout currency is in USD, and I use a German number because it offers me the best international roaming for my travel needs. I asked them to clarify further, and they said because I log in from Germany most, they took it as my country of residence. I am wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this since I am not a taxpayer in Germany and it's not my permanent residence. Also, will there be any tax implications in Germany? Can Airbnb decide to assign a country of residence without your permission?
