The government raises a motion in the next plenary session to reject the tourist tax

The municipal government will raise to the ordinary plenary session next Monday, August 26, a motion to reject the tourist tax. The spokeswoman for the local government and the municipal group of PP, Lourdes Caselles, has defended this rejection argued that the rate “is still a new tax that taxes on legally established tourist accommodation” and that “would negatively affect the competitiveness of a industry that generates more than 13% of GDP and 14% of employment in the Valencian Community ”.

Caselles has indicated that "in the face of the resurgence of the debate on the implementation of the so-called tourist rate charged by some representatives of the Regional Goverment, it is important to make clear our position and be blunt", since "the unfavorable effects" of this assessment are "numerous .

The popular spokeswoman recalled that the implementation of this tax "has the frontal rejection of the tourism sector of the Comunidad Valenciana." Hence, the proposal includes “urging the Regional Goverment to agree with the tourism sector on all decisions taken in this area”, and claiming President Ximo Puig and the Regional Secretary of Tourism, Francesc Colomer, “the convocation of the Regional Tourism Ministry so that all the difficuties about all the problematic raised will be discussed.

At the end of the Internal Regime Commission in which the proposal has been ruled, Caselles has listed some of the reasons given by the sector, and shared by the local government, to oppose the rate and “more in a moment” of recovery from competing destinations such as Tunisia, Turkey or Egypt; of uncertainty before the effects of Brexit; and before the possible threat of an upcoming economic recession ”.

Among these reasons, Caselles has stressed that in the Valencian Community "internal tourism is very important, so that 30% of the taxpayers of this new tax will be the Valencian citizens themselves on their vacations." She also pointed out that "European tour operators have already warned of the detrimental effect of this 'rate' of international commercialization", and may lead to the 'flight' of tourists to "countries and destinations such as Turkey, Egypt or Tunisia that are becoming strong holiday markets ”and that they are following“ the exact opposite strategy: to subsidize the arrival of tourists ”.

In addition, the spokeswoman of the PP has affirmed that “with this tax a message is sent to the markets of saturation and turismophobia” when “the truth is that the Valencian Community is a territory‘ tourist friendly ’and synonymous with hospitality”.