Hoteliers prepared to take legal action

The Majorcan Hoteliers Federation is still unforgiving over the Balearic government's tourist tax proposal, despite having been presented with a draft of the project. Yesterday the Federation said that it has contracted a team of international consultants to examine the proposal, study the so-called “pros and cons” and the effects the tourist tax will have on the holiday market. But while the consultants carry out their study, the Federation has also contacted a leading legal firm in Madrid to look into the legality of the Balearic government's proposal. Hoteliers are prepared to take legal action if there are solid grounds. Hoteliers still have a number of questions which the government has failed to answer. Based on the theory that the tourist tax will be introduced, hoteliers want to know how tourists and tour operators will react. The Federation also fears that the tourist tax will force hotel prices up - hoteliers want to get an idea of how much prices will rise and how tariffs will compare with the main competitors in Spain and across the Mediterranean. A tourist-tax-fuelled increase in hotel and apartment rates will obviously be seen as a negative aspect by tour operators and tourists and, as yet, the hoteliers can see little if any, “pros” from having a tourist tax which will be paid in hotels and apartments. At the moment, there is a major flaw in the government's proposal - the hoteliers do not want to be involved.