Tourist tax to be enforced next season

Balearic Chief Minister Francesc Antich announced last night that the tourist tax will be introduced from the start of the tourist season in 2001 and holidaymakers coming to the Balearics will be expected to pay a levy of between 1'000 and 1'5000 Pesetas per head - although in the meantime Antich said that the government has to work out how the tax is going to be enforced and collected. The Chief Minister admitted that the idea has been bogged down in bureaucracy and said that his government has got to get moving on the tax. For that reason Antich said that at the end of this month, or early June, work will start on drawing up the final draft of the project so that it can be put before the Balearic population and discussed. He said that he would rather wait until next season so as not to complicate pricing and contracts for the tour operators and travel agencies. Making the announcement last night, Antich said that he was unable to provide more information, for the moment, adding that the tax will work out at the equivalent of one Euro per day “from the start we've always had the figure of between 1'000 and 1'500 pesetas on the table.” The big issue Antich and his government now faces is how to enforce and collect the tax. There are two options being considered which would either involve the transport sector or the hotel sector.