Despite a staggering 18 million tourists flocking to the Spanish archipelago last year, a judge has blocked one local Canary Islands authority from implementing its own visitor levy
In a huge win for sun-worshipping Brits, the Canary Islands has swiftly backtracked on its controversial tourist tax. Demands for a regional-level visitor levy to be introduced through Parliament are getting louder – following a string of protests that erupted across the archipelago last year.
While the Canary Islands government, which is led by Coalición Canaria (CC), has ruled out such an idea – local authorities in Mogán, Gran Canaria, took matters into their own hands. In January this year, the popular coastal town implemented a small fee of €0.15 (around 13p) per person, per day.
As previously reported, it is believed the funds would have been used to help support public services that have been negatively impacted by tourism, as well as to help spearhead projects focused on sustainability and conservation. A couple heading to the resort for a week’s holiday would have been hit with a €2.10 (£1.76) surcharge.
However, just 24 hours after the tax was introduced -the Canary Islands High Court of Justice (TSJC) blocked the policy – branding it ‘confusing’ and ‘poorly written’. Judge Francisco José Gómez de Lorenzo-Cáceres argued the tax – which garnered backlash from the Federation of Hospitality and Tourism (FEHT) – should have been regulated by a formal law.
According to local media, the tax will remain suspended until the TSJC reviews the council’s arguments, which Mogán plans to submit once it receives the official notification from the court. FEHT says such a levy would impose ‘excessive administration work’ for the hospitality sector, which goes ‘against the principles of fairness and cost minimisation’.
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With tourist taxes becoming increasingly common across Europe, attitudes towards them are starting to change. Data from the Tourist Spending Survey by the Canary Islands Institute of Statistics (ISTAC) states three out of four holidaymakers would accept a tourist tax, with the majority willing to fork out €1 or €2 per day.
Such a policy could generate a staggering €250 million (£207 million) per year, as tourist numbers across the Spanish islands continue to rise. Last year, a whopping 18 million visitors flocked to the hotspots, despite cries from locals that they’re being priced out of the property market.
The Mirror has contacted Mogán Town Hall for comment.
Do you think a tourist tax in the Canary Islands is fair? Let us know in the comments section below
