Palma town hall, which was not alone among Majorca's town halls in having been annoyed at the lack of direct funding from last year's tourist tax revenue, has presented proposals for this year's revenue. It is again seeking funding for the restoration of the Torres del Temple and for ways in the Bellver forest.
Presenting the projects, mayor Antoni Noguera said that the Temple will add to work on rehabilitating cultural blackspots in the city that was started with Can Ribes and the Cases de Son Ametller. With the forest, the project will be for the recovery of the main green area in Palma, something needed in the fight against climate change.
The Temple, which dates from the Muslim era, requires investment of 2.16 million euros. Work would be in two phases over 24 months. The first would involve the restoration, the second would be for the museum. The ways in the Bellver forest need a year's work in three phases costing just over 900,000 euros.
Noguera defined both projects as "strategic", adding that he wouldn't be able to understand if the finance for them is not forthcoming. The government should appreciate, he observed, that Palma gets a return from the tourist tax revenue. It, the government, "is aware of the impact that tourism has on the city and of what it means to be the capital".
The distribution of last year's revenue "was not good". Palma didn't get anything, but it is "common sense that the city with half the population (of the island) and most tourism receives a percentage of the tax revenue".
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Should the Tourist Tax be used to improve the facilities that Tourists use, and have contributed too. The Litter all over the Island needs to be removed. It is not just Tourists that Litter. The Islands residents are very guilty of Fly-Tipping .