In order to increase revenues and limit the number of tourists, some European and American countries have raised or will soon increase taxes and fees for tourists.
According to a report by the British "Daily Mail" on the 10th, the city of Barcelona, Spain, has raised the "city tax" for tourists since the 1st of this month, which is the second time in four years that the city has raised this tax. Barcelona has a permanent population of about 1.66 million, but the number of tourists is around 7 million a year, putting pressure on the city's resources. In 2012, Barcelona began to levy a "city tax" on tourists. After this adjustment, the amount of "city tax" per night has increased from 2.75 euros to 3.25 euros (about 25 yuan). In addition, the relevant authorities levy a "regional tax" according to the type of hotel where the tourists are staying. For example, if you stay in a high-end hotel, you will have to pay an additional 3.5 euros per night, and for other types of hotels, you will have to pay an additional 1.7 euros per night. Visitors to Barcelona by cruise will also need to pay taxes.
Venice, Italy, on the other hand, announced earlier this month that it would charge day-trippers €5 from late April. Venice had previously imposed a tax on overnight visitors. Data shows that in 2023, this tax will bring 37 million euros (about 290 million yuan) of revenue to the local government.
In preparation for this summer's Olympics, the Paris region also raised tourist taxes earlier this year, with the Ile-de-France region, including the capital, increasing overnight taxes by 200% since January.
Not only in Europe, but also in February this year, the governor of Hawaii, Green, proposed to impose a tax of 25 US dollars (about 181 yuan) per person on tourists. Green said the fee could bring the government more than US$68 million (about 500 million yuan) a year.
(CCTV Finance)