Tourist tax being “urgently” pushed through to meet June start

Having been approved by the cabinet on Friday last week, the draft law now begins the parliamentary procedure, which initially means that the parliamentary board - comprising the president (speaker), the two vice-presidents and the two secretaries - meet to ensure that it is admissible. Following this (and its admissibility is presumed), the draft will then be published in the parliament’s Official Bulletin and also in the Balearic Islands Official Bulletin (BOIB); announcements for media use will then also be made.

For eight days after it is published, if urgent procedure is adopted, parliamentary groups can gather opinions and the parliament’s service produces a dossier. The next step, also of eight days duration, is for parties to present amendments either to parts of the draft or to its entirety. Any amendments to the total bill will then form the orders of the days when the full session of parliament meets to debate the draft.

If there aren’t any or if those presented are rejected, the draft will then go to the finance and budget committee, which will firm up the document and establish the formal announcement of its contents. There is then further debate and ultimately the vote. These will be recorded in the diary of parliamentary sessions and, if the bill is approved, it will be published in parliament’s Official Bulletin, marking its having come into force, and in the BOIB.

Meanwhile, the president of the Majorca Hoteliers Federation, Inma de Benito, has made it clear that the federation is maintaining its opposition to the introduction of the sustainable tourism tax and that when the moment arrives, the federation will look at taking legal measures and “will exhaust” them until they find a solution.