Munar urges Antich not to rush things

President of the Insular Council of Majorca, Maria Antonia Munar, said in Palma yesterday that if the summer season goes badly because of the tourist tax, “those who will pay dearest will not be the hoteliers, but the workers as usual.” Munar, who made it clear earlier this year that she would not like to have the responsibility over the tax and its consequences on her shoulders, repeated her warning to Antich, saying that it is not a wise idea to introduce the tax with such uncertainty and instability in the tourism industry as the moment. “We've maintained right from the start that we can make it through 2002 without the tax. With the highest rate of income per capita in Spain, it would be far more sensible to let this summer season pass. If it proves a success then it makes little difference, but if the season does not, it would have been a good idea to have left the tax's introduction for another year.” Munar said that she has expressed her opinion to Antich and added that the Balearic President is thinking about what to do about delaying the tax's introduction. Munar said that she hopes this summer will not prove to be as bad as the hoteliers have forecast, “but while we all want to see the tax applied as it will mean the extra money for necessary investments, if things go wrong and there is not a good level of understanding between the government and the hotel sector, in the end it will be the workers, not the hoteliers, who pay the price.”