The PSC, ERC and Comuns agree to increase the tourist tax in Catalonia
The proposal is expected to come into effect in April, and 25% of the revenue will go to housing.
BarcelonaThe Catalan Socialist Party (PSC), the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), and the Comuns party have reached an agreement to increase the tourist tax in Catalonia. This measure was initially promoted by the Catalan government after reaching an agreement with the Comuns in February of last year, but it was not ratified by the Catalan Parliament due to disagreements with the ERC regarding the application criteria. These differences have now been resolved, and the government and its partners have agreed on several joint amendments with the aim of definitively approving the law in Parliament in February, so that it can begin to be applied in April, with the start of the new tax collection period. The new tourist tax will double once the law is approved. The increase will be 100% during this legislative term, but its implementation will not take place in a single year but over two. Thus, the rate will finally double in 2027. The text of the joint amendments maintains the requirement that 25% of the surcharge be allocated to housing policies of the Generalitat (Catalan government). Furthermore, a single payment period is established in April, thereby "simplifying" the system and "facilitating" compliance. Until now, the rate was due between April 1st and 20th, and between October 1st and 20th. Regarding the municipal surcharge, which until now only Barcelona applied to the tourist tax, starting in April, all municipalities will be able to decide when and how to apply it, as demanded by Esquerra Republicana (ERC) to break the territorial uniformity. Municipalities will also be able to adapt it to their neighborhoods, also depending on the type of accommodation. Thus, for example, each municipality will be able to decide whether to apply the tax year-round, during a specific period of the season, or during both annual tourist periods. This surcharge will be a maximum of 4 euros and may not exceed the amount of the Generalitat's fee, in order to guarantee fairness and legal certainty. The revenue will go to the municipalities themselves. The Catalan Government agreed with the Comuns party almost a year ago to double the fee for tourist establishments, which is collected equally by the Generalitat and the municipalities, and that half of what the Government collects would be allocated to housing access policies. The main point of contention with the Republicans was the increase in this fee outside of Barcelona: they demanded that the fee be lower in other Catalan municipalities than in the Catalan capital, and that there be differentiated fees between the summer and winter seasons.
As a result of this disagreement, the decree agreed upon with the Comuns party passed in Parliament in May, but the Catalan government assured the tourism sector that it would not be implemented. This prompted the Generalitat (Catalan government) to issue a new decree suspending the approved measure, leaving the sector uncertain for a few days. Since May, all three parties have called for negotiations on a joint text, which will finally be presented this Tuesday for approval at the end of February and to come into effect in April, for the next settlement period, in preparation for the spring-summer season.
Rates and Surcharges
The portion of the tourist tax collected by the Catalan government will increase from €3.50 to €7 for tourists staying in five-star hotels in Barcelona. In the rest of Catalonia, a phased approach has been agreed upon: from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, the increase will be 50%, rising from €3 to €4.50 per night in five-star hotels, and from April 1, 2027, it will decrease to 0.0%.
The main change in the proposed amendments lies in the rate applicable to all Catalan municipalities other than Barcelona. Specifically, the amendment stipulates that outside the Catalan capital, until April 2027, 5-star and luxury hotels and luxury campsites will have a rate of €4.50 – down from the previously planned €6 – and 4-star or superior 4-star hotels will have a rate of €1.80 – down from the previously planned €2.40.
Tourist accommodation in Catalonia will pay €1.75, down from the previously planned €2, and other campsites and establishments will pay €0.90, down from the previously planned €1.20. Youth hostels—which were not included in the previous text—will have a rate of €0.80. In addition, cruise ships will have to pay €3 for stays longer than 12 hours (previously €4) and €4.50 for stays of 12 hours or less (previously €6). From April 1, 2027, the rates outlined in the previous text will be implemented, with the addition of a €1 rate for youth hostels and an increase to €2.50 for tourist accommodation.
In Barcelona city, however, rates will not have any initial reduction, being 7 euros for 5-star and luxury hotels; 3.40 euros for 4-star and 4-superior hotels; 4.5 euros for tourist accommodation; 1 euro for youth hostels; and 2 euros for the rest of the establishments and campsites.
Local councils may also impose surcharges on the established fees. Specifically, the Barcelona City Council may establish a surcharge on the rates set for the city of Barcelona by municipal ordinance, but the maximum surcharge for each establishment category is set at 8 euros. Other municipalities may also impose a municipal surcharge, but the maximum amount for each establishment category is set at 4 euros, and may not exceed the rate established for each type of establishment.
Total rejection from the sector
The reactions were swift. The Catalan tourist accommodation sector expressed its "total and unanimous rejection" of the agreement to increase the tourist tax, a measure it "considers improvised, lacking strategic rigor, disconnected from the country's real needs, and purely for revenue collection." A position defended by Foment del Treball, the Barcelona Hotel Guild, Pimec, the Catalan Confederation of Hospitality and Restaurant Businesses (ConfeCat), the Catalan Federation of Campsites, the Catalan Federation of Tourist Apartments (Federatur), and the Barcelona Tourist Apartment Association. For all these organizations, the increase is primarily due to the current government's "need for political support and not to a sound tourism policy or responsible management." Therefore, they called for "empathy" from the Socialist government towards businesses in the sector and asked for a reconsideration of the proposal, as well as an economic study on its impact.
