Left-wing parties reach deal to establish new tourist tax across Catalonia

The major left-wing parties in the Catalan Parliament, the Socialists, Esquerra Republicana, and Comuns, have reached a deal to establish the new tourist tax across Catalonia from April.

The tax will double from April 1, as the petition issued to the chamber ahead of voting it reads.

The 25% of the income will now be focused to fund housing policies promoted by the Catalan government, while the 75% will be used for tourism management.

"This decree-law is a change of paradigm because for the first time, tourism will not only be used to fund promotion of tourism, but will directly fund public policies, specifically housing ones," Jéssica Albiach, spokesperson of Comuns, said during a press conference.

The tax change will take two years, rather than one, which is what Comuns first requested.

The tax hike had been under negotiation since the beginning of 2025 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, and later until April 2026.

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

In Barcelona, the levy can reach as much as €15 per person, per night – including the general Catalan tourist tax plus the city surcharge.