Earlier this year, and a somewhat tense meeting between Podemos and the hoteliers to discuss the tourist tax.

Earlier this year, and a somewhat tense meeting between Podemos and the hoteliers to discuss the tourist tax. | Archive

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma03/11/2016 00:00
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Inma Benito, the president of the Majorca Hoteliers Federation, said today that the federation learned about modification to the tourist tax in 2017 from the media. She criticised the government for "once more presenting measures without consensus and without undertaking an analysis as to their impact".

The modification is not to the rate of the tax but to the method of payment of tax revenue collected by hotels. The government describes this as just a technical adjustment, but the hoteliers fear that this adjustment - to be made to the system of "objective estimation" - will mean that they end up paying more tax than they actually collect.

Benito also claimed that the tax was being used as a means of balancing the government's books rather than as a way of improving "externalities" that tourism produces, "which was how it was originally designed".

She also spoke about Brexit, saying that the federation will be following the process with "much care" and that the UK tourism market is one of the most important for the Balearics and for Spain. Benito also observed that a longer season this year has an effect on "social sustainability" in that it increases the number of jobs.