The Association of Hotels and Resorts in the Algarve has reacted to the draft paper seeking to increase a range of Green Taxes designed to help the environment, including a per head tourist tax, saying today that "there is no direct relationship between tourism and harmful practices to the environment, which would justify penalising the industry with the introduction of higher taxes"
The Association warned that the impact of any new taxes in the draft reform on green taxation may result in more unemployment in the region.
"At a time when tourism is showing some signs of recovery, after many years of stagnation and decline, the announcement of more taxes on the sector is not only counterproductive, but is a threat to its competitiveness."
AHETA added that "in the case of the Algarve, the effects of an increase in unemployment would be enormous, translated into exponential growth of units closed during the low season."
On Wednesday, the Portuguese Tourism Confederation warned that the creation of taxes such as a tourist occupancy tax or on air passenger tax is a serious threat to the competitiveness of tourism.
The confederation said that these two proposals are contained in the draft Green Tax Reform presented earlier this week and they would affect an industry that is "essential to our economic recovery."
Raising the tax on fuel and energy, a tax on passengers arriving by air, and a tax on plastic bags are just some of the measures up for debate.
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