Today, Tuesday, the Balearic Parliament rejected consideration of a bill proposed by MÉS per Mallorca to double the Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS) tourist tax. The eco-sovereignists proposed doubling the ITS to eight euros per day at its highest rate and two euros per day at its lowest. However, the initiative did not receive sufficient support, with 33 votes against from the PP and Vox, seven in favour and 18 abstentions from the PSIB.
The spokesperson for MÉS per Mallorca, Lluís Apesteguia, defended the bill by recalling the words of the president of the regional government, Marga Prohens, in last year’s General Policy Debate on the increase in the ITS. ‘Quotes that make history about consistency and keeping one’s word,’ he said ironically.
Similarly, he considered that Prohens’ proposal to lower the ITS in winter ‘was not serious’, arguing that in a luxury hotel the daily ITS is one euro and in a hostel it is 0.25 cents. ‘Lowering it sounds ridiculous,’ he said. Apesteguia has shown himself to be open to negotiating the proposal with the other groups and has addressed the PSIB, which last week agreed with the PP to take the increase in the tourist tax - only in the summer months - to the Sustainability Pact Committee. ‘I don’t know if trying to make up for Prohens’ lack of initiative by taking on his proposals will get us anywhere,’ he said.
He criticised the Government for ‘trying to replace parliamentary democracy with a social dialogue table’. ‘Asking the opposition to agree on our initiatives at a table that you have agreed as a prerequisite for accepting their processing seems to me to distort the functioning of Parliament,’ he criticised. ‘If there are groups that buy into this nonsense, this group will justify why it buys into this way of operating,’ Apesteguia added.
The Més per Menorca MP, Josep Castells, has attacked the Social and Political Pact for Sustainability, which he has described as a “farce”, considering that the Government brings to the table ‘what it is not interested in’. He also called out the Socialists for agreeing with the PP to bring the increase to the pact’s Committee. ‘They are giving credibility and endorsing the pact,’ he said, adding that it is “inconsistent” on their part.
The Menorcans have supported the increase in the ITS, although they have opted for the tax to be ‘much more progressive and less rigid’. They propose that a rate of 21 per cent be applied to the cost of the stay. ‘Since the PP, the PSIB, MÉS and ourselves are in favour of increasing the ITS, let’s start debating and discussing the proposals and stop wasting time,’ Castells demanded.
The Unidas Podemos MP, José María García, expressed a similar view, considering that the amount of tax is ‘still very low’ in the islands. In his opinion, the increase in the ITS would not represent a significant burden for tourists, but would compensate the Balearics for the negative effects of tourism.
The MP expressed his support for the bill, although he considered that it ‘falls short’ in certain aspects, such as in the case of cruise ships and tourist rentals, which, he pointed out, are ‘scantily taxed’.
The PP voted against considering the initiative and asked MÉS per Mallorca to withdraw it and take it to the Sustainability Pact. ‘We cannot accept the bill because we would be bypassing the social dialogue process,’ said María Salomé Cabrera of the PP. According to the MP, the MÉS law aims to increase the ITS so that it ‘acts as a brake on the arrival of tourists and improves the environment’, objectives which, she argued, ‘are being achieved by this Government’.
The PP MP defended the Government’s management of tourism, highlighting that containment measures have been taken that ‘have borne fruit’. In her opinion, it is not enough to impose moratoriums or a tax, but rather ‘effective management of success and joint work with the sector and society is needed’. She also reproached the left-wing parties for presenting different proposals to modify the ITS when ‘they had seven years to do so’ and ‘could not agree’. ‘You steamrolled the sustainable tourism committees, where everything was already decided and there was no room for dialogue,’ she added.
Socialist MP Llorenç Pou argued that the agreement reached with the PP to present the proposal to increase the ITS stipulates that the initiative will go to Parliament after passing through the Sustainability Pact Committee. Pou argued that his party abstained ‘out of responsibility’ and so as ‘not to give the PP any excuse’. ‘We have an agreement that the proposal will go to Parliament with the agreement of the president after going through the Pact Committee,’ he said.
The PSIB, as the MP insisted, ‘believes’ in the ITS increase and is committed to ‘starting to be part of the solution’. For this reason, they presented a proposal for an increase in the General Policy Debate which, in their opinion, is not ideal but which they have been able to agree with the PP.
For Vox MP María José Verdú, the ITS increase is ‘unfair’ and ‘attacks the entire economic chain of the islands’.
‘We defend the balance between tourist activity and coexistence, but we do not accept that this argument should be used to punish the tourism sector,’ she added. The MP justified her vote against the proposal on the grounds that it is ‘common sense’ and that it is an ‘unbalanced, unfair and harmful’ proposal.