Sp in favour of tourist fee in Norway

Road toll Geir Pollestad Rules Council tourist feeGeir Pollestad. Photo : Senterpartiet.no

The Centre Party in favour of tourist fee in Norway

The Leader of the Norwegian Industry Committee in the Parliament pictures a national model for a tourist fee.

 

– I am positive to look at a National model for a tourist fee. This must not increase the overall burden on tourism, but must lead to increased opportunities for facilitation, says Industry Committee Leader, Geir Pollestad (Centre Party), to Klassekampen.

He believes that the Norwegian Government contributes to increasing the economic pressure on tourism by raising the VAT and allocating less money to regional development.

He also suggests that VAT for tourism is reduced from 12 to 10 per cent. He further wants the Government to heed the Parliament’s decision to reduce the wealth tax for hotel owners.

– We must now contact the tourism industry and their organisations and discuss how this can be solved. I foresee that regions heavily burdened with tourists introduce a fee, while others can wait. This can provide a competitive advantage for little-visited locations, and the tourist are spread out more spread, he continues.

Pollestad assumes that the fee must benefit the regions and expect a fee of around NOK 20 per person a day.

NHO Travel

NHO Travel fears that the added work and the financial expenses of their member companies will increase if such a tax is introduced.

Commercial Policy Manager in NHO Travel, Ole Michael Bjørndal, points to that a majority of parliamentarians said no to a tourist tax last May. He adds that it was not opened for regional or municipal schemes.

Professor in Tourism at the University of Tromsø, Arvid Viken, recommends the regions to introduce a tourist fee.

– It must be called a fee, and the money must be earmarked regions with strong tourist pressures that need better facilitation, says Viken, who believes tourists in Norway will not loudly protest such a fee.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today