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23-10-2024, 07:30 AM
The seven tourism employers' associations warn that the key is not to collect more but to better manage public funds
"The ecotax proposed by the Socialist Party is not a solution for the Canary Islands", is how clear the tourist employers of the islands are. In fact, the Association of Tourism Entrepreneurs of Fuerteventura (Asofuer); the Lanzarote Tourism Federation (FTL); the Federation of Hospitality and Tourism Entrepreneurs of Las Palmas (FEHT); and the Hotel and Extra-hotel Association of Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro (Ashotel) consider "ineffective" the bill presented last Wednesday by the Socialist Parliamentary Group to implement a tax on tourist stays in the Canary Islands, a measure that, according to businessmen, "will not reduce the number of visitors and that is an unjustified punishment for tourism, as has been demonstrated in all the territories in which this tax has been applied, which will only reduce the competitiveness of the destination".
As for the revenue expected to be obtained with this new tax, 250 million per year according to the socialist proposal, the employers' associations insist on the idea that "the Canary Islands do not have financing problems, but rather to better manage the resources they have, given that they do not even execute all the taxes generated by tourist activity, which amounted to more than 3,400 million per year in 2023".
"A new tax on overnight stays is not useful as a measure to manage tourist flows, nor to address the real deficits in infrastructures that the Archipelago drags and that have not responded to the notable increase in population of the last 25 years. On the other hand, it would mean generating a clear situation of double taxation of tourism activity in the Islands, when it is precisely the sector of the economy that contributes the most to public revenues via taxes," they explain.
They also consider "of very dubious legality" the possibility that this tax can be charged only to visitors who do not reside in the Canary Islands, since European regulations do not allow any discriminatory measure according to the residence of the EU citizen. Therefore, residents of the Islands would also be obliged to pay this tax burden when staying in a tourist establishment in the Canary Islands.
"Another different issue, which is shared by the employers' associations, is the application of fees for visiting the natural treasures of the Islands, as is already applied in some spaces. A tax with a finalist nature, the employers' associations consider, can even have a positive impact on the generation of employment and on the improvement of cleaning, security and maintenance services in these places, and would be useful accompanied by other measures to correctly manage the flow of visitors, measure the impact on natural spaces and guarantee their optimal state of conservation". they advance.
Tourism in the Canary Islands today moves the aforementioned 35.5% of the wealth (GDP) of the Islands, generates 40% of direct employment and in taxes translates into revenues of 3,400 million euros. With that figure, the entire Canary Islands Education budget for 2024 (2,373 million), all social services (711 million), industry and energy (139 million) and access to housing and building promotion (122) or more than 80% of the total Health budget (4,108 million) can be paid.
"The ecotax proposed by the Socialist Party is not a solution for the Canary Islands", is how clear the tourist employers of the islands are. In fact, the Association of Tourism Entrepreneurs of Fuerteventura (Asofuer); the Lanzarote Tourism Federation (FTL); the Federation of Hospitality and Tourism Entrepreneurs of Las Palmas (FEHT); and the Hotel and Extra-hotel Association of Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro (Ashotel) consider "ineffective" the bill presented last Wednesday by the Socialist Parliamentary Group to implement a tax on tourist stays in the Canary Islands, a measure that, according to businessmen, "will not reduce the number of visitors and that is an unjustified punishment for tourism, as has been demonstrated in all the territories in which this tax has been applied, which will only reduce the competitiveness of the destination".
As for the revenue expected to be obtained with this new tax, 250 million per year according to the socialist proposal, the employers' associations insist on the idea that "the Canary Islands do not have financing problems, but rather to better manage the resources they have, given that they do not even execute all the taxes generated by tourist activity, which amounted to more than 3,400 million per year in 2023".
"A new tax on overnight stays is not useful as a measure to manage tourist flows, nor to address the real deficits in infrastructures that the Archipelago drags and that have not responded to the notable increase in population of the last 25 years. On the other hand, it would mean generating a clear situation of double taxation of tourism activity in the Islands, when it is precisely the sector of the economy that contributes the most to public revenues via taxes," they explain.
They also consider "of very dubious legality" the possibility that this tax can be charged only to visitors who do not reside in the Canary Islands, since European regulations do not allow any discriminatory measure according to the residence of the EU citizen. Therefore, residents of the Islands would also be obliged to pay this tax burden when staying in a tourist establishment in the Canary Islands.
"Another different issue, which is shared by the employers' associations, is the application of fees for visiting the natural treasures of the Islands, as is already applied in some spaces. A tax with a finalist nature, the employers' associations consider, can even have a positive impact on the generation of employment and on the improvement of cleaning, security and maintenance services in these places, and would be useful accompanied by other measures to correctly manage the flow of visitors, measure the impact on natural spaces and guarantee their optimal state of conservation". they advance.
Tourism in the Canary Islands today moves the aforementioned 35.5% of the wealth (GDP) of the Islands, generates 40% of direct employment and in taxes translates into revenues of 3,400 million euros. With that figure, the entire Canary Islands Education budget for 2024 (2,373 million), all social services (711 million), industry and energy (139 million) and access to housing and building promotion (122) or more than 80% of the total Health budget (4,108 million) can be paid.