Sintra’s council is to levy a tourist tax as from next year with the income going towards the renovation of its historic city centre.The €2-a-night tax is capped at three nights per person and will go towards the estimated €50 million needed to improve the local sewage system, and upgrade many private and council owned buildings.
Sintra's council will continue to restrict traffic in the historic centre and will not be providing any relief for those trying to find a parking space.
Lisbon and Porto have launched a tourist tax, with the Algarve’s mayors deciding this would be a great thing for their region, causing uproar from tourism related businesses.
Sintra lacks tourist accommodation, a state of affairs that the tourist tax will not be addressing and some of the projects under consideration, such as fixing the sewage system, normally are funded by local ratepayers, water charges, and central government or European grants.
Sintra lacks tourist accommodation, a state of affairs that the tourist tax will not be addressing and some of the projects under consideration, such as fixing the sewage system, normally are funded by local ratepayers, water charges, and central government or European grants.
The Algarve tourist tax proposal now has to go though each council assembly, with the inevitable result that some councils will vote for the tax and others will not, creating a confusing patchwork of local charges.
Comments
It seems to me to be a reasonable solution.