President Armengol yesterday defended the tourist tax, telling parliament that it does not make the Balearics less competitive. Responding to questions from the Partido Popular, the president rejected criticisms of the tax, saying that the figures support the government's management and a commitment to quality rather than quantity. Nevertheless, she noted that there has been an increase in the number of tourists (in the low season) and that their spending has risen.
The PP's Marga Prohens queried the doubling of the tax when the government is sitting on over 60 million euros of tax revenue without having carried out projects for which it is intended. Prohens believed that the government doesn't have a tourism model and that this is a reason why the tourism minister, Bel Busquets, is seeking a way out: she has said that she will stand as the Més candidate for president of the Council of Majorca.
Busquets, for her part, replied to questions from Carlos Saura of Podemos. He wanted to know how the tourism ministry can expect to control 392,000 legal holiday accommodation places in Majorca plus ones that are illegal when it only has fifteen inspectors.
The tourism minister rejected a claim that the government is not acting and insisted that it is "controlling illegal holiday rental offer". She said that the ministry has an inspection plan and that it is producing "results", referring to fines handed out to large accommodation websites. She added that reformed tourism legislation in the Balearics will control illegal offer and promote quality.