New tourist tax

Ski bus compromise costs the state six million euros

Tourist resorts can use part of the new levy for their own bus services.(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

The state wants to raise 24 million euros with a new tourist tax. A good chunk of this will go to the tourism associations.

Easy come, easy go. The state wanted to raise up to 24 million euros in the final expansion with the mobility levy unanimously approved by the state parliament on Wednesday. This is intended to help finance the expansion of bus and rail services in the state.

As reported, the levy, which costs tourists 1.10 euros per overnight stay in Salzburg, faced opposition from ski resorts in the inner mountains. The compromise, which brought many tourism professionals on board, will be expensive for the province. In the winter months, half of the revenue goes to the tourism associations, it was agreed.

The office of Stefan Schnöll (ÖVP), the deputy responsible for the province, is expecting five to six million euros that will not flow directly into the expansion of public transport. "We will try to offset this from the budget," they said in response to an inquiry from Krone. The tourism associations must use the money to finance "tourist mobility", such as ski buses, hiking buses or bike rental systems.