The Mayor of Mogán, Onalia Bueno, has firmly supported the implementation of the tourist tax in the face of criticism from the Federation of Hotel and Tourism Businessmen of Las Palmas (FEHT), who announced that they will appeal this tax, arguing that it implies a double economic burden for visitors. Bueno described the businessmen who oppose the measure as "petty", reports Canarias7. The president of the FEHT of Las Palmas, José María Mañaricua, has placed the manager of the Bungalows Playamar in Playa del Inglés in Las Palmas, who is its vice-president Fernando Estany, at the head of the offensive against Mogán. The vice-president of the FEHT, Águeda Borges, an employee of RIU, is also not exposing herself.
According to Bueno, this tax does not directly tax overnight stays, as the FEHT claims, but rather seeks to cover the costs derived from tourism and promote the sustainability of the destination. "The overnight stay is only used as a basis to calculate how much each tourist must pay," he explained. He also stressed that visitors do not feel disadvantaged and are willing to contribute to the improvement of infrastructure, as they do in other regions where similar taxes already exist.
The mayor also highlighted the differences between the IGIC and the tourist tax. While the IGIC is a general tax that benefits all municipalities in the Canary Islands, the new tax is designed to cover the specific costs generated by tourist activity in Mogán. Bueno criticised the absence of a regional tourist tax and an infrastructure plan that supports the main destinations, comparing this situation with Catalonia.
As an example of the impact of tourism on municipal services, Bueno mentioned waste treatment. In April 2019, when accommodation places were occupied, the municipality managed 1.800.000 kilos of waste, at a cost of 93.000 euros. During the pandemic, with tourism paralyzed, the figure dropped to 628.000 kilos, reducing the cost to 30.000 euros. "This difference reflects the weight of tourism in our services," she said. Likewise, the mayor argued that business owners should also assume part of the costs generated by their activity.
