Lanzarote’s Socialists have called on the President of the Cabildo, Oswaldo Betancort, to impose a tourist tax.
Maria Dolores Corujo, general secretary of the Socialists on the island, called on Betancort to apply a tax, given that the “island can’t take any more.” The proposed tax would consist of a levy on every night spent on the island, and funds raised would be used for “social and environmental purposes.”
Corujo pointed out that Lanzarote is currently attracting record numbers of visitors and said, “The increasing tourist pressure we are experiencing is unsustainable and cannot be managed without effective measures.” Corujo was President of the Cabildo until 2023 and was heavily criticised by the then-opposition for declaring the island “saturated”.
A tourist tax is currently “not on the agenda” of the ruling Coalición Canaria party, while their coalition partners in the Partido Popular have always rejected the idea. Meanwhile, the Socialists did not introduce a tax during their 2019-2023 mandate because they claimed “it was not the right time” following the recovery from the Covid pandemic.
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