Catalan tourist tax hike postponed until April 2026

Catalonia's planned tourist tax increase has been postponed until at least April 2026, as first reported by El Periódico on Friday and confirmed by the Catalan News Agency (ACN) with economy department sources.

The tax hike has been under negotiation since the beginning of the year between the Socialist government, left-wing Comuns, and pro-independence Esquerra Republicana (ERC).

It was initially scheduled to come into effect in May 2025, following approval by the government via a decree-law.

However, before the measure could be implemented, the government opted to delay the increase in order to process it as a bill in Parliament instead of pushing it through by decree. This postponed the planned increase until October 2025.

The original agreement between the government and Comuns proposed doubling the existing tourist tax across Catalonia.

The measure would affect all types of tourist accommodations – including hotels, tourist apartments, and cruise ships.

In Barcelona, the levy could have risen to as much as €15 per person, per night – including the general Catalan tourist tax plus the city surcharge.

As part of the deal between the economy department and Comuns to delay the implementation, it was agreed that the approximately €60 million in tax revenue would be redirected to housing policies.

The earliest the tax could now take effect is April 2026, due to the biannual settlement schedule for this type of tax, in April and in October.

Hotels issue warning

In September, the Barcelona Hotels Guild warned that increases to the tourist tax could raise the cost of hosting the Mobile World Congress from €400,000 to €600,000.

Jordi Clos, president of the guild, stressed the importance of not "strangling tourism with constant taxes."