HOLIDAY TAX: Valencia Region To Introduce New Tourist Tax From 2023
Spain News
Published: 13 April 2022 16:32 CET
The Spanish regional government of Valencia is finalising plans to introduce a new tourist tax.
The move, which is planned for the end of 2023, will see holidaymakers pay more for their holidays in some of Spain’s more popular resorts including Benidorm, the City of Valencia and Costa Blanca.
The tax which is already being used in the Balearic Islands of Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera, will mean tourists having to pay up to €2 extra per day when staying in certain accommodations. Cruise ship passengers will also have to pay the levy at a rate of €1.50 per day.
Those under the age of 16 will be exempt from the tax.
Although there has been growing opposition to the move, the Valencian government said that it would publish the order in the coming week, but stressed that it would not be implementing the tax just yet due to the recent economic downturn caused by events in Ukraine.
President of the Valencian Government, Ximo Puig, confirmed the move but said it would not be applied immediately in the Valencian community because "it is not the right time."
Instead, the tax would most likely be phased in from the end of 2023 or early 2024. However, it will not be compulsory, with individual councils choosing whether they charge the tax or not.
Benidorm, which is one of the most popular resorts in the Valencia region is thought to be opposed to the tax.
The tax, which is already being used in other European countries, would be based on a sliding scale with holidaymakers paying varying amounts based on the type of accommodation they stay in.
Those staying in luxury hotels could pay around €2 per night extra with those staying in cheaper accommodations being charged around €0.50 per night.
Payments will only be charged for a maximum of seven days, so those at the top end of the scale and staying in hotels will pay around €14 extra per person.
The regional government said that the tax would be put back into sustainable improvements so that it could continue to remain “popular and competitive”.
It comes at a time when the country is only just starting to recover from the impact of the global pandemic which has decimated the country’s tourist industry.
Source
https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/18238834/valencia-spain-tourist-tax/
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/travel/spain-tourist-tax-extended-holidaymakers-23623928
https://www.irishmirror.ie/lifestyle/travel/spain-travel-new-tourist-tax-26644105
