The tourist tax, says the government, has been introduced successfully and with complete normality. It has all been very positive.
These were the assessments of President Armengol, speaking in the Balearic parliament on Wednesday. She attributed its "success" to what she vaguely referred to as the realisation of efforts that have been adjusted to needs.
Responding to questions from Alberto Jarabo of Podemos, Armengol said that decisions on the use of tax revenue will be taken by the "plural commission" that is expected to be announced next week. As part of this, the tax legislation provides for some public participation in the decision-making process. She stated that it would be the commission's objective to pursue projects funded by the tax by listening to the requests of the public. The commission will, therefore, consider feasible investments for environmental issues, and ones that are "so necessary".
The finance minister Catalina Cladera said that information regarding initial tax receipts will be given later this month. She added that hotel occupancy data indicated that the tax has not had any negative effect and that she expected that this will continue to be the case.
Cladera was replying to the Partido Popular's tourism spokesperson, Alvaro Gijón, who called on the government to make an evaluation of the tax's implementation. For Gijón, the "normality" of its introduction lay with the efforts of businesses which, though critical of the tax and its bureaucracy, are the ones charged with its collection.
Someone who might disagree with the government is the one person to have so far lodged a formal complaint against the tax with the government. A Spanish tourist, staying at a "resort" on the bay of Pollensa, said that he had no knowledge of what was a two-euro per night charge and argued that it represented a denial of freedom of movement. There is a suspicion that this tourist was from Catalonia, where there has of course been a tourist tax since 2012.