MDB DigitalPalma17/03/2024 10:08
TW
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"We are all tourists at some point; we all like to learn about the places we visit and also how our taxes and fees are used," stated Josep Aloy, Director General of Tourism, as the deadline for submitting projects to be financed with the Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS), also known as ecotax, closed on Friday. This call, amounting to 74.4 million, is part of the reprogramming and redistribution of projects under the 2023 Budget, the final one of the preceding Government.

"There were some resignations, but upon review, we found that some of the projects were more conceptual than concrete, and also that some didn't fully align with the tax's objectives. That's why we've streamlined them down to five points," explained Aloy, who highlighted that they would be scrutinised over the following weeks. The number of projects is anticipated to exceed the available funding. He noted that another call will be initiated in June for the current year, and in December, the one for 2025 will be brought forward, ultimately resulting in "a total of 350 million euros."

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The Sustainable Tourism Tax was established in 2016, and up to 2019 (the year before the pandemic), project execution was reported. For instance, in 2017, 370 euros were allocated to a project for signposting cycling routes proposed by the Consell de Mallorca.

During the year of the coronavirus pandemic, some proposals were reassessed, sparking several controversies that reached Parliament. The PP never contemplated abolishing the ITS, initially opposing it, similar to the eco-tax of the first Pact - repealed when Jaume Matas won the 2003 elections - though they did consider clarifying objectives and restricting fund allocation destinations. This marks its inaugural call for proposals.

The Turisme website hasn't provided information on this tax since 2019. Aloy acknowledged this as "something we are working on," advocating for "utmost transparency." This transparency initiative includes, potentially not for this season but for the next, a system enabling hotel guests to access ongoing projects via a QR code. One option is to link it to the hotel card. "This is something we can discuss with the hotel federation," he remarked.