Green light to double the tourist tax in Barcelona: it will reach 8 euros in 2029

BarcelonaBarcelona City Council approved an increase in the city's tourist tax to 8 euros over four years. The council has thus approved the proposal by Esquerra (Republican Left), which seeks to increase the current tax by one euro per year, doubling it and setting it at the legal limit established by law in 2029.

They have already announced that they would put the issue to a vote in the plenary session this Friday. and argued that the tax will serve to mitigate the effects of the negative externalities of that activity to make it compatible with city life. "We find ourselves once again finding that Barcelona has reached its tourist capacity limits, and public transport and services have become saturated. We must govern through tourism to restore balance," he noted. Similarly, he extended a hand to Barcelona en Comú and Junts to help move forward.

Esquerra, which was already negotiating the proposal with the Socialists, has managed to garner the support of Barcelona en Comú to move forward. The spokesperson for the Comú, Carol Recio, expressed some reluctance within the party due to the four-year wait until the tax is fully implemented. Even so, she said that the group is voting in favor out of "responsibility" and because it considers it necessary to have "left-wing majorities."

On the other hand, the proposal did not convince the members of the Junts, who abstained. The spokesperson for Junts per Barcelona, Arnau Vives, explained that the group does not agree with all points of the proposal and wanted to emphasize the economic importance of tourism in the city: "We do not want to criminalize this activity," he said. Vox and the PP, for their part, have strongly opposed it and have expressed their rejection of a proposal that they consider "a very negative presentation of the city abroad."

During his speech, Alamany reiterated the need to "better distribute" the economic benefits of tourism to address the problems arising from this activity. "Tourists are already part of the city's landscape," he lamented, explaining that the money raised from this tax can be used to improve public services. In this regard, Deputy Mayor Jordi Valls assured that the current surcharge -from 4 euros- It's already being used to fund projects in the areas of public transport and security, among others.

Up to 15 euros per day

In addition to the amount agreed upon this Friday with the approval of the new tourist tax, the Catalan portion of the tax on stays in tourist establishments (IEET) will be added, which varies depending on the type of accommodation. Starting this fall, the IEET in Barcelona will range from 2 euros (for hostels and hotels under 4 stars) to 7 euros (for 5-star hotels). This means that starting in 2029, tourists could pay up to 15 euros per night (the two taxes combined).

The last plenary session before the holidays

The plenary has also definitively approved the Drug Plan 2025-2028, whose objective is "denormalizing" alcohol consumption and reducing accessibility to these products in Barcelona This plan, proposed by the municipal government, has received the support of ERC and Junts, the vote against of PP and Vox and the abstention of Barcelona en Común. young people.

In addition, the Municipal Council has agreed to award the Barcelona 2025 Medals of Honor to those individuals and entities that through their professional or social work have made a positive contribution to Barcelona society. At the city level, it has been approved to award the posthumous restaurateur, the journalist Oscar Muñoz, the cook Fermí Puig and the bookseller Montserrat ÚbedaIt was also agreed to recognize the work of twenty individuals and organizations nominated by the city's districts.