France plans to increase hotel tax fivefold
Tourists in France could be hit by a rise in hotel tax after the Parliament supported a 500% increase to the tourist tax.
If rubber-stamped by the Senate, visitors to French hotels would pay a tax of £6.40 (8 Euros) per night, rather than the current £1.20 (1.50 Euros). In Paris this figure would rise to £8 per bed night (10 Euros) to pay for transport infrastructure projects.
The controversial measure has already been approved by Parliament after being initiated by Socialist MPs.
But some politicians and the tourist industry are opposing the increase dubbing it ‘a mistake’.
They hope the proposal will be thrown out by the French senate.
Laurent Fabius, the foreign secretary, said the measure was ‘dangerous and totally contrary to the promotion of tourism, a priority for jobs’, reports the Daily Mail.
Roland Heguy, president of the UMIH organisation that represents the interests of more than 80,000 businesses in the tourism sector, said: "To establish two new taxes in less than 24 hours, without any coherence or consultation with the industry . . . is totally irresponsible."
Diane
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