Crimean authorities have initiated amendments to the regional law on the introduction of a resort tax in the region, delaying its implementation from May 2018 to May 2019, said the republic's Minister of Resorts and Tourism, Vadim Volchenko, according to Interfax-Tourism.
"Near Crimea “There will be a year of reserve for preparation,” V. Volchenko told journalists on Thursday in Simferopol.
According to the minister, the amendment could be considered at a session of the Crimean State Council. "We have received understanding at the federal level. We hope that at the next session, perhaps even in two readings, the Crimean State Council will adopt this amendment. At the very least, we will strongly urge this," Volchenko said.
He noted that the decision to postpone the introduction of the resort tax was made after "an enormous number of consultations" both within Crimea and abroad. "Crimea has the opportunity to begin a little later in order to achieve a more pronounced effect," the head of the republic's Ministry of Tourism remarked.
On July 30 last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law introducing a resort tax in four regions of the country: Crimea, Altai Krai, Krasnodar Krai, and Stavropol Krai. The experiment will last until the end of 2022.
The resort tax will be levied on legal entities and individual entrepreneurs providing accommodation services. Payers are adult tourists staying for more than 24 hours at a hotel or other accommodation facility.
The fee cannot exceed 50 rubles per person per night of hotel stay in 2018 and 100 rubles in the remaining years of the experiment.
In November 2017, Crimea introduced a 10-ruble resort tax on tourists arriving for vacation, effective May 2018. Alushta, Yevpatoriya, Saki, Sudak, Feodosia, Yalta, and the Chernomorsky district agreed to participate in the experiment, which was decided to run annually from May 1 to September 30.
Krasnodar Krai has established a 10-ruble resort tax.
Stavropol Krai announced its intention to charge 50 rubles, while Altai Krai decided to charge tourists 30 rubles.
Source: trn-news.ru