At the end of August 2016, a meeting of the Presidium of the State Council was held in the Altai Territory, which considered the issue of introducing a tourist tax in Russia, as well as establishing its size. Such a measure should increase investment in the resort infrastructure. All the details and details of the discussion are posted on the official presidential website, and this article will give a general idea of what this collection is and who exactly it will concern.
What is the tourist tax
Currently, there is no official definition of the resort fee, but the determining factor for this tax is that it is not set everywhere throughout the country, but is intended only for resort areas. Tourist tax in Russia in 2016 will not be charged yet.
The introduction of such a tax for our country is not new. Such a measure was enshrined in the Law "On resort tax from individuals" from 1991 to 2004. And now they have decided to return to it again.
Who will have to pay the tourist tax in Russia
Paying the resort tax will fall on the shoulders of citizens wishing to spendtheir vacations in resort towns. This will concern not only Russians, but also people arriving on vacation in Russia from abroad.
Resort taxation does not apply to legal entities and individual entrepreneurs who operate in resorts. Therefore, various sanatoriums, hotels and rest houses have nothing to fear, only vacationing citizens will pay the tourist tax in Russia.
In order for the payment of the fee not to cause unnecessary problems and inconvenience, it was decided not to include it in the cost of the tour, but it will be taken at the place of stay of the holidaymaker, at the time of registration upon entry or exit.
Which areas will have a resort fee
The fee will be introduced gradually, and not immediately in all resort areas. The first will be the four favorite holiday zones. The pilot project will be launched in Stavropol and Crimea, Altai and Krasnodar Territory.
According to the results of the experiment, it will become clear whether it is worth leaving a tourist tax in Russia. 2016 should show whether it makes sense to introduce it in all public recreation areas and what size of the fee will be the most optimal. The decision on the need for a resort tax will be made by the regional authorities.
When the fee will be introduced
Today it is still impossible to say from what period vacationers will have to pay additional tax to the treasury. But the largest tour operators predict that this measure could be introduced as early as 2017. That is, those who plan their vacation in advance andintends to travel to one of the pilot areas next year, you need to be prepared to pay an additional resort fee.
Tourist tax in Russia in 2016 is at the stage of preparation, final calculations and development of the legislative framework.
Tax amount
Probably the most important question that interests citizens is how much the tourist tax in Russia will be. In order not to hit the pocket of vacationers, the tax should be small. According to the Minister of Finance, the fee should be in the range of 50-100 rubles. But the Ministry of Tourism of Crimea is already voicing the amount of 300 rubles.
The collected funds are planned to be directed to the development of resorts, and therefore, to make their stay more comfortable and interesting. Given that the final word on the introduction of the resort tax remains with the regional authorities, most likely, the amount of the tax will directly depend on their decision. But more detailed information should be disclosed by the law on the resort fee, which does not yet exist today.
How do you plan to distribute the funds received
Despite the fact that the tourist tax in Russia is only at the planning stage, such a measure is not new in world practice.
On the example of other countries, we can conclude that the resort fee helps to improve the conditions of spa treatment and more effectively develop the entire infrastructure of the resort.
Theoretically, for the accumulation of collected finances, it is plannedthe organization of a certain fund, from which the funds will be distributed and sent to the things necessary for a particular resort. And according to various estimates, the tax should bring from 2 to 6 billion rubles over five years.
Benefits
Although the amount of the fee should not be significant, many are concerned about whether benefits will apply to the payment of the fee and which categories of citizens this will concern.
Definitely, there will be beneficiaries, but it is impossible to say specifically who will treat them. But if we draw an analogy with the previously existing Law of the RSFSR "On the resort fee from individuals", then they can count on exemption from paying the fee:
- minor citizens under the age of 16;
- disabled people and accompanying persons;
- people who ended up in the resort due to production needs, i.e. travel allowances and students;
- persons arriving at the resort not for recreation, but changing their permanent place of residence;
- citizens whose travel itinerary is pre-planned by tourist and excursion organizations and enterprises, or those traveling on route books;
- men and women of retirement age who are already 60 and 55 years old respectively;
- children visiting their retired parents living in the resort area.
Opponentsresort fee
Not everyone supports the introduction of a resort fee. Such a measure is opposed by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice, Rospotrebnadzor and the Ministry of Economic Development, as well as the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Representatives of these five departments believe that an additional tax can significantly increase the cost of recreation within the country, which will clearly not speak in its favor.
World practice
There are two types of resort fee:
- Asian. It is characterized by the fact that the vacationer, in addition to the amount for staying in a hotel or holiday home, pays a fixed amount daily, it can also be a percentage of the total cost of the services provided.
- European. In this case, the finances are distributed among three parties: the tour operator, the place of rest (hotel, hotel, sanatorium), the regional treasury.
Although the purpose of introducing the resort fee is to develop the regions, this does not guarantee a significant improvement in the situation. Therefore, many countries popular among tourists are in no hurry to introduce a tourist tax. Examples of these are Turkey, India and Bulgaria.
