The tourism industry strongly objects to the announced increase of the tourist tax in Sofia, BTA learned on Thursday from a press release signed by the Bulgarian Hotel Association, the National Board of Tourism, Restorant Branch Association Sofia, the regional structure of the Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association, the Bulgarian Association of Restaurants and the Association of Restaurants in Bulgaria.
The organizations report that the measure has been discussed with the business community, which agreed to it but not in the way it is being introduced. An agreement was reached with Sofia Municipality and the municipal enterprise "Tourism" to accompany the measure with amendments to the Local Taxes and Fees Act to ensure that the funds collected will go specifically to the development of tourism and the promotion of Sofia as a destination. So far, no such amendments have been tabled.
The matter of taking action to increase collections from existing properties was also discussed. According to the organizations, the actual collection of the tax is very low and is only realized from hotels. More than half of the apartments that are rented to foreign (70%) and local (30%) tourists are not registered under the Tourism Act and do not pay the tax due to the Sofia Municipality. More than 1 million overnight stays are expected to take place in such apartments in 2024, which is comparable to the numbers in high-category hotels.
/PP/
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