The controversial tourist tax, if and when it is introduced, will raise between 50 and 80 million euros for the local government. Now can you imagine if this sum of money was invested in promoting the Balearics across Europe? I am not just talking about summer/sun holidays but low-season tourism as well. The islands could even have an advertising campaign on British and German television. It would make a world of difference. Cash could also be provided to airlines and businesses which open during the winter. I suspect that with a well-researched plan, the fortunes of the Balearics would change overnight. Other holiday destinations have used a so-called tourist tax for similar purposes and it has worked very well indeed. The government claims that because of the funding crisis with the Madrid government it needs to raise additional funds and this is one of the key reasons why the tourist tax is being introduced. On the whole I do not believe that tourists will object to paying the tax as long as the money is wisely spent on improvements to the tourism industry. I do not think that tourist tax money should be diverted to other non-tourism related industries or services. It should be a tax paid for by tourists to improve the holiday industry. The government has to be careful. It has a golden opportunity to introduce the charge without too much fuss, but the money raised must be spent on worthwhile projects.
Money well spent
17/02/2016 00:00
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Money paid by visiting tourists makes local tourist-related business richer, they then pay their taxes to the Balearic government, and then their people paid to promote tourism actually do use the money to do just that. Unfortunately the largely dim politicians here just keep putting the cart in front of the horse...they just want to pull money out of the tourists' pockets before they have a chance to spend it. Over 70% of Mallorca's income comes directly or indirectly from tourism. This tax is like keeping chickens, and then wringing the necks of the ones which lay the most eggs. Madness!
It won't raise anything like that amount because a lot of it will go in administration and collection and even more will be creamed of by corruption and everybody but you knows that,Jason.
Sorry, it will all be swallowed up in compensation for cancelled contracts and "admin"