The introduction of a tourist tax on the disembarkation of cruise passengers in Lisbon, which began being levied on holiday purchases earlier this year, will come into force from Monday and will be applied by all operators.
“In accordance with the terms of the protocol signed with the APL – Lisbon Port Authority, the calculation and collection of the tax on maritime arrivals (TCVM) begins on April 1,” the Lisbon City Council (CML) said in response this week. to the Lusa agency.
Regarding fees for passengers who have already purchased holiday packages since January 1 this year, CML said it is “not yet possible to make an estimate,” noting that the municipality does not have information on the number of travel packages sold.
In this context, APL is responsible for the “collection and delivery of tax revenues to the municipality,” the municipality indicated.
Cruise ship passengers began paying the fee when purchasing package travel on the first day of this year, but APL then clarified that technical issues needed to be resolved (such as adapting computer systems) and that some Packages for 2024 had already been sold, so the fee was scheduled for April 1.
The fee has a “flat cost” of two euros, collected in advance at the time of sale, regardless of whether passengers stay on the ships for more than one night.
According to CML, it is calculated “per passenger disembarking from a transit cruise ship at cruise ship terminals located in Lisbon.”
In response to Lusa, APL confirmed that the introduction would come into force on Monday and “will apply to all transit passengers over 13 years of age visiting the city.”
Cruise operators were informed “some time in advance” so they could introduce the relevant cost into their fares, so those who were unable to reflect this cost on the passenger “will have to shoulder the amount to pay the fee”. This was reported to the port administration.
Regarding the levy since January, APL said it is “not yet possible to determine the number of travel packages sold, including this levy.”
The payment “is carried out using the JUL – Janela Única Logística platform, an ecosystem for the digitization of ports and logistics at a national level,” used for all activities related to a ship’s call, be it passengers or cargo.
This platform provides dematerialized communication between all port stakeholders and includes various national authorities. The tool has already been working for “several years,” including for invoicing.
Not anticipating “difficulties and problems,” APL said that JUL needed to create functionality to add a new commission.
“All passengers who embark or disembark in Lisbon, as well as spend the night in the city on the day before the ship calls, before boarding or on a later day after disembarkation, are naturally subject to tourist tax. At the same time, he emphasized that the hotel industry is charged, since there is no exception regime for these passengers.
The tourist tax in the city of Lisbon began to apply in January 2016 for overnight stays of national tourists (including Lisbon residents) and foreigners in hotels or local accommodation facilities.
Initially it was one euro per night, but in January 2019 it increased to two euros.
Cruise ship passengers who disembarked in the capital never paid the fee. The municipality expects an annual income from its payment of 1.2 million euros.
At the signing of the protocol with APL in December 2023, CML President Carlos Moedas (PSD) stated that the municipality is working on updating the value of the tourist tax in the city to announce the news “very soon.”
Without revealing the expected increase, CML stressed that any change must be approved by municipal authorities and “only then can the new value be applied.”
In a conversation with Lusa, APL warned that “the anticipation of the introduction of new rates or new increases is a very important factor” for economic agents to be able to adapt to these changes, which imply a deadline for their reflection on the end consumer.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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