Since 2005, numerous German municipalities have been levying a so-called bed tax for overnight stays in hotels. Four constitutional complaints were pending before the Federal Constitutional Court. These were dismissed as unfounded.

The Dehoga trade association announced that it was "extremely disappointed" with the judgment of the supreme judge. The first senate of the Federal Constitutional Court dealt with the matter and came to the conclusion that the complaints from the hotels in Bremen, Freiburg and Hamburg were rejected as unfounded. Previously, the processes ran through all instances.

The supreme judge ruled that the bed tax does not violate the Basic Law and would not place an excessive burden on the accommodation business. In addition, the legislature can create the possibility that overnight stays by business travelers are excluded. This is the case in Berlin, for example.

In a first reaction, Dehoga said: "We are extremely disappointed with this decision, which we have been waiting for for over six years. We appeal to the municipalities not to take this decision as an encouragement to introduce bed taxes now”.