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LOCAL TAX

The local tax rates are categorised as follows:

€3.10 per person per night for guests aged 14 years and over in 4 and 5-star accommodations.

€2.60 per person per night for guests aged 14 years and over in 3/3s-star accommodations, in 5-flower agritourism, in 5-star private rentals, and in 5-star campgrounds.

€2.10 per person per night for guests aged 14 years and over for all other categories.

The history of the local tax goes back a long way. There is mention of a "spa tax" being levied in Baden-Baden as long ago as 1507 and from 1842 in Bad Ischl. Visitor taxes, local taxes, residency fees, overnight taxes, or whatever these tourism taxes are commonly referred to, have now been introduced in most tourist destinations. They are municipal taxes and are payable per person and per night when staying in an accommodation establishment. Visitors pay the tax in addition to their room rate as a surcharge, which is itemised separately on their bill.

Overnight taxes became common in most tourist destinations with the rise of tourism and significantly contributed to the financing and prosperity of tourist resorts. The local tax is an indispensable source of income for domestic tourism regions too. It finances a range of services to enhance the quality of a guest's stay. In addition, these funds can ensure the maintenance and expansion of tourist infrastructure, be it the operation of information offices, landscape maintenance and care of hiking trails, community development, or the creation of cultural offerings and facilities. By paying the local tax, visitors contribute to financing the tourism infrastructure, as a kind of quid pro quo for the use of tourism facilities and services.

Starting in 2024, 70 percent of the local tax collected in South Tyrol will benefit the tourism organisations registered in the regional directory. They are responsible for destination management on-site, which includes promoting collaboration among service providers (accommodation establishments, leisure service providers, etc.), and also among different locations in a region, and through cooperation between the service providers to ensure continuous service chains in the destinations and to market them across locations. Thirty percent of the local tax will go to the development agency, IDM-South Tyrol, which is responsible for tourist marketing and the South Tyrol brand, among other things. By resolution of the municipal council and upon request from the local tourism organisation, the local tax may be increased in general or for specific projects, as well as for tourism-related services and infrastructure, and these amounts remain 100 percent with the tourism organisations (state law 16.05.2012, Implementation Regulation D.LH. 31.08.2023).

 

Of course, tourism organisations must finance themselves not only through the local tax but also through membership fees. For exclusive services offered only to members, in particular, it is important to ensure that sufficient internal finance is available. However, for the extensive range of tasks that fall to a modern tourism organisation, funding from the local tax is essential. Without these necessary resources for structures and staffing, sustainable and strategic development and management of a destination would not be possible, and the large number of tasks including stakeholder management, product development, information services, landscape maintenance, community development, and communication with tourism stakeholders and guests could not be successfully undertaken.
 

The Tourism Association of Partschins, Rabland, and Töll

will be pleased to answer any questions.

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