Germans not prepared to sign anything over tax

The Balearic government now intends to try and negotiate a deal over the tourist tax directly with individual tour operators. But yesterday, the German association of tour operators and travel agents, made it clear that it does not intend to sign up for any kind of accord with the local government, agreeing to concessions in return for a delay in the tax's introduction. What tour operators are concerned about in Germany, is that if leading tour operators start giving in to the local government, it will set a precedent for other destinations which will also try to hold them to ransom over new taxes. The German tour industry doesn't understand why it should invest more money on promoting the Balearics, in accordance with the government's wishes. Balearic President Francesc Antich and Tourism Minister Celesti Alomar yesterday said that the International Federation of Tour Operators, IFTO; is still willing to talk. But IFTO's secretary general Alan Flook told the Bulletin yesterday that, while hopefully all is not lost, IFTO is preparing a document in Spanish for the local government which will detail the norms and regulations within which the government must operate when drawing up a new document for IFTO to perhaps sign. Flook said yesterday that the situation remains rather gloomy and that he can not understand why the Balearic government is making the issue so complicated. “It's such a shame, at the end of the day, all we want to do is promote the Balearics and tourism,” he said. “That's our business.” “But the longer this continues, the more damage it is doing to the Balearic industry,” he added. The Balearic government still maintains that some form of deal will be reached within the next few weeks which will lead to a delay in the tax's introduction. But even Flook admitted that the situation is a “real mess.” The Balearic Ministry for Finance yesterday reminded hoteliers that, as the situation stands, the first tourist tax audit will be carried out in September. Hoteliers in Ibiza, on behalf of hoteliers across the Balearics expressed their sorrow yesterday that tourist tax talks have broken down, yet again.