Hospitality professionals reiterated on Tuesday their opposition to the tripling of the tourist tax on hotel nights in Île-de-France, provided for in the 2024 draft budget which must be definitively adopted this week by 49.3.
On Tuesday, Umih, the leading employers’ union in the hotel and catering industry, and the GNC (group of hotel chains) deplored misleading negotiations whether between Ile de France Mobilits and the government or between the government and professional organizations.
The two organizations regret yet another hard blow for the competitiveness of our sector and for the image of France, at a time when all the spotlights are on Paris 2024.
The Paris tourist tax currently varies from 0.25 euros for modest campsites to 5 euros for palaces, per night and per person. The 200% increase in the tax will be used to finance public transport.
The new tax will represent an annual collection of 423 million euros well above the financing need of 200 million euros indicated by le-de-France Mobilits (IDFM) and the government, denounced the unions, ensuring that they had proposed alternative scenarios rejected one after the other.
Same criticisms from the side of the other employers’ union in the sector, the GHR, which denounces a Pécresse tax, a very bad blow to the competitiveness of Parisian and Ile-de-France hotels, despite working meetings between the GHR and the government which had made it possible to propose an alternative solution.
The tripling of the tourist tax will lead certain hotels, such as those classified 1, 2 or 3 stars, which charge prices below 100 euros, to collect as much tourist tax as VAT. An aberration, deplores Catherine Qurard, president of the GHR.
While the public authorities fear an increase in prices in the hotel industry, they are increasing taxes. And afterwards, they will come and make us guilty, the professional loses his temper.
The GHR, which warns that it will be extremely vigilant on the contribution of furnished tourist accommodation which must be subject to this tax, is also asking to join the IDFM board of directors on behalf of companies.
The GHR is careful to point out that no company representative sits on the board of directors even though they contribute more than half of its budget.