I lived through the last debacle back in 2002 when many of my tourists (particularly younger Germans) refused to pay and why should they. They had never heard of it. I was not dressed as a government official, had no official documentation and not even a Tourist Tax Receipt Book. They took me as a con artist.
What mayhem may develop now at the hotel reception desk when these tipsy blades, fresh from the airport, are asked to cough up some of their holiday money? In my case, for a quiet life, I paid it myself - remember prior to the European Union, expats working in Spain had to keep their noses clean.
Most of my fellow (Spanish) apartment owners ignored the tax in the belief it would wither on the vine. They were right but when I requested a refund I got nowhere.
At these times the politicians always come out with platitudes like “it will have no negative effects”. Our holidaymakers will soon appreciate it’s use in building old folks homes, congress centres and closing down shopping complexes and more of the same. To test its plain stupidity, I often turn the statement on its head. If correct its logic should make the tourist tax attractive and so should attract/not discourage tourists – so the sooner the daily tax is increased to encourage our winter tourism the better.
If you believe that you’ll believe anything!
Mike Lillico
Playa de Palma
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Well said Sir. I often compare it to, for instance, the Corte Ingles charging every customer 1 euro to go in as they need the money to cover the air conditioning costs. I can see Mrs Barceló and Mrs Jurado rushing back to their husbands, complaining bitterly that they had to pay to wander around trying out the free cosmetics on offer. What a shower.