German MP slams the tourist tax

Ernst Hinsken, the chairman of the tourism committee in the German Parliament, yesterday slammed the tourist tax which the Balearic government introduced in May. “If the Balearics is the richest region in Spain, why do we have to pay?” he asked as he toured Cas Catala - one of the areas which will benefit from tourist tax funds - accompanied by the director general of tourism co-ordination Jaume Garau. Hinsken said that it was the central or regional governments and the town councils which should cover the cost of rehabilitation, not tourists. He has always been critical of the tourist tax and at the opening of the Balearic Office in Berlin, he warned government leader Francesc Antich that the Germans “would keep a close watch” on the use put to the money raised by the tax. However, he admitted that Majorca is one of the top destinations for Germans.