Do You Have to Pay Tourist Tax in Spain?
introduction
In order to learn about the trip to Spain it is crucial to recognize the possible taxes and fees of the country. Among the questions frequently asked is whether visitors to the country charged a tourist tax during their visitation period. In this article, you will get to know about the reality of Tourist tax of Spain.
What is Tourist Tax?
Tourist tax or tourist levy or tourist fees is a fee/complaint levied on the visitors or tourists by certain destinations or the municipalities. It is generally levied by and/or collected by hotels, resorts or any form of accommodation and is used to finance local development of physical facilities, environmental projects, promotional activities of the tourist industry and so on.
Recently there has been much discussion of whether there is a tourist tax in Spain?
The answer to the question whether or not Spain has a tourist tax is that indeed it does have the tourist tax but there are differences of the tax for different regions and cities. It attaches to the room prices either as a direct addition or whereby the hotel or travel agents breaks it down locally, it is essential to the client to inquire accordingly.
Countries like Spain, especially Barcelona, Madrid and the Balearic Islands have adopted a tourism tax to control the impacts of tourism on resources. Some other regions may not possess a tourist tax.
However, it should be noted that not all tourists are subjected to the payment of the tourist tax. There are exceptions based on the factors like age, duration of stay and the reason as to why a person is within that particular country. However, one needs to check whether one falls under any of the exemption category.
How Much is the Tourist Tax?
Tourist tax can also be different depending on the place and the number of people, usually the amount of money is charged per night stay of one person. The prices could go from some euros to several euros daily or per night depending on the hotel.
For instance, Catalonia, specifically Barcelona has laid down tariffs for the tourist with the tax rate varying from € 0.65 to € 2.75 per person, for one night and whereby it varies according to the class of the hotel. This tax varies from € 1 to € 4 per head per night depending on the type of the commercial establishment in the Balearic Islands.
Please refer to your hotel or local tourist offices to get the most currency rates and any recent changes.
The amount is collected from the tourists directly through charging them a small fee per head every time they visit a tourist hotspot, pays for a service or hires a local consultant or tour guide.
The tourist tax is usually charged and collected from the accommodation giver for instance hotels, resorts, rental houses, etc. It may place the tax on either at the time of making the booking or at the time of check-in/check-out.
It is usually charged as a line item on the bill, and it will be the responsibility of the client to settle it with the hotel. Please remember to kindly retain copy of the receipt In case of any loss.
If the accommodation is made via a travel agency or an online booking portal, the amount of the tourist tax shall be mentioned to the traveler by the agency or the portal at the time of the booking.
Conclusion
Since learning about tourist tax in Spain, you can now prepare for it and include it as an extra cost factor when organizing your travel. It is good to first make sure of the policy, requirement and rates specific to each country you intend to visit, and whether there is way round for you or not.
Below is information about certain taxes that one must know about while visiting Spain hence avoiding inconveniences related to these taxes.
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