Taxing issue

Balearic hoteliers often get a bad press. They are in the firing line over all-inclusive holidays and over their calls for a crackdown on so-called illegal holiday lets. I have little sympathy, though. They are big enough to be able to look after themselves and of course they are the real heavyweights of the tourist industry. But I must say by agreeing to pay the tourist tax this summer they are taking it on the chin and “doing it for team Balearics”. It makes sense, also. The introduction of the tax this summer would have been a real nightmare. Tourists would, in most cases, have no knowledge of the tax until they were presented with a bill on arrival at their hotel receptionist. At least this way they can be warned that next year they will have to pay. But this year the kindhearted local hoteliers are doing the honours for them. It will eat into the profits of the big hotel chains but as we are on course for a record summer season it should mean a record amount of cash from tourism. The hoteliers are also doing the Balearic government a great favour. By agreeing to pay it the government has been given some breathing space to be able to get their act together and properly introduce the tax for summer 2017. So it appears that there is going to be a happy ending for the tourist tax after all. Things were looking rather shaky but at least we can look forward to a record summer season, safe in the knowledge that the tourist tax will not come back and haunt us.