The case in summary: The government has put forward a proposal to introduce tax on accommodation for tourists. The municipalities themselves must decide whether they wish to introduce this tax, and the income must be earmarked for tourism purposes. Ringsaker, Norway’s largest cottage municipality, is skeptical of the proposal. Larvik municipality is open to considering the introduction of a tourist tax. The marketing manager at Alpinco is not positive about the proposal, while Atle Hovi at Beitostølen Resort is positive as long as the money goes to the tourists. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. The tax will make the Norway holiday more expensive – also for Norwegians. Several people are skeptical about this. On Tuesday, the government put forward a proposal in which they open up the possibility that tourists must pay tax in the municipalities they stay in. It is up to each individual municipality whether they want to introduce the scheme, which aims to cover the price local communities pay for the influx of tourists during peak seasons. The proposal has sparked debate among the country’s municipalities and tourism operators. This is the government’s proposal for tourist tax The government proposes to introduce an optional scheme for visitor contributions, i.e. tourist tax. What does the proposal from the government mean? The municipalities can introduce a surcharge of up to 5% on overnight stays and per visitor from cruise ships. What kind of accommodation can be taxed? The proposal applies to hotels, campsites, mobile home parks, hostels, private hire, hotel ships, leisure boats in guest harbors and other accommodation businesses, the ministry states. This also applies to Airbnb. The funds must be used for: Operation, maintenance and development of tourism-related public goods. To manage pressure on infrastructure and environmental impact. To contribute to a more sustainable tourism industry. How much revenue can it generate? With a total accommodation turnover of almost NOK 30 billion in 2023, a five per cent tax on all overnight accommodation could provide over NOK 1.5 billion annually to the municipalities – as long as all municipalities introduce the scheme at the full rate. 80 percent of all hotel guests in Norway are Norwegian. Source: Government Thumbs down Norway’s largest cottage municipality, Ringsaker where Sjusjøen lies, says no thanks. – We want more visitors. I don’t think such a fee will be relevant in the near future, says mayor Kai Ove Berg (H). SKEPTICAL: Mayor of Ringsaker, Kai Ove Berg (H), will not be in favor of a new fee for overnight stays now. Photo: Bjørnar Morønning / news As Norway’s largest cottage municipality, tourism means a lot to them, he says. – Visitors are not concerned with taxes and fees, but that things are well arranged for them when they visit our municipality. – Won’t a tourist tax contribute to facilitation? – Possible, but before possibly considering introducing a tourist tax, it will be important that the municipality, together with our professional tourism players, assess how such a tax will be perceived. Bo Lindblad / BO LINDBLAD Anne Marie Sveipe (H), ØyerHo says she is basically positive about a tourist tax. At the same time, she is skeptical of the proposal that is out there, and says they must first assess how the arrangement will work out for Øyer. Sveip ➡️ Reidar Gregersen / news Turid Backe-Viken (Ap), Trysil Turid Backe-Viken says that the municipality has decided to out a visitor contribution. Since she has not seen the proposal from the government, she has no comments. Swipe ➡️ news Arne Fossmo (Ap), Ringebu It is too early to make any comments. Swipe ➡️ Aleksandr Nedbaev / news Hans Olav Sundfør (H), LillehammerSundfør says he can consider a tourist tax, but that it is crucial that he does not make the tourists travel to other places, and that the income is used for public good that benefits the tourists. Swipe ➡️ news Truls Gihlemoen (Frp), acting mayor in Stange – I am whole clearly negative to such additional taxation. Tourism is a good source of income which should be seen as an advantage, and make sure to get the income from tourism in other ways, says Truls Ghilemoen (Frp). Swipe ➡️ Bjørnar Morønning / news Rune Støstad (Ap), business policy spokesperson – Several municipalities with high visitor pressure has long requested such an arrangement, says business policy spokesperson Rune Støstad (Ap). He believes the tourist tax can contribute to trust between tourists and the local population. Mayors are open But there are mayors who are more positive about the tax. Birgitte Gulla Løkken (H), who is mayor of Larvik municipality, says that it may be appropriate to start with a tourist tax. – If the tourist tax is arranged in a balanced and reasonable way, which means that we can cover some of these expenses, Høgre i Larvik may be prepared to consider the introduction of a tourist tax, says Løkken. CURRENT: Birgitte Gulla Løkken (H) in Larvik municipality says they can envisage paying out a tourist tax. Photo: Philip Hofgaard On Wednesday, Larvik municipality will look at an oral proposal on tourist tax that came during the budget process last year. Løkken says that there can also be negative aspects to introducing such a tax. – These must be assessed against the benefits when the structure of such a tax becomes known. Several mayors need time In Sigdal municipality, mayor Vebjørn Aasand Seljord (Sp) has not assessed the tax, but he is open to the fact that it has good and bad sides. – You can invest more in tourism and make more arrangements for tourism. We must manage to handle it in a good way. The disadvantages will be that there will be an increased taxation burden on both places of accommodation and tourists, says Seljord. – It can lead to differences between the municipalities, as long as it is voluntary for the municipalities to introduce it. OPEN: Mayor of Sigdal, Vebjørn Aasand Seljord (Sp) sees both advantages and disadvantages of demanding a tourist tax. Photo: Guro S. Kolbjørnsrud Should the municipalities say yes to introducing a tourist tax? Yes, as long as the tax actually benefits the tourists! Yes, they are visiting the municipalities, so they must contribute! No, we pay enough in taxes and fees! It is up to the municipalities to assess, not me… Show result An extra fee Marketing manager Espen Stensvold Rønning at Alpinco, which is located in Hafjell and Kvitfjell, is not positive at the moment. Espen Stensvold Rønning in Alpinco, which operates, among other things, alpine centers in Hafjell and Kvitfjell, is skeptical of the proposal, which now opens the way for municipalities to demand a visitor’s tax. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news – In practice, this is actually an additional VAT that comes on top of an already high level of VAT for tourism. So it will be an ineffective measure, as I see it. He claims that he has not been allowed to read everything, and therefore has not looked thoroughly into the consequences for Alpinco. Rønning says he is excited about what happens next, and that it is natural to have a good dialogue with the municipalities where they live about the tourist tax. Atle Hovi in Beitostølen Resort says he is positive, as long as the money goes to a pot that benefits the tourists. Atle Hovi says he is positive if the tourist tax is implemented as a surcharge in the same way as the bag tax, and the tourists actually benefit. Photo: Stine Bækkelien This could, for example, be maintenance of ski slopes or the like. Published 20.11.2024, at 16.03
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The government will introduce a tourist tax – it could hit the cottage industry hard – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
