Portugal holidaymakers face new tourist tax that starts being charged from next week

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Holidaymakers heading to Portugal will soon be hit with a new tourist tax, set to come into effect from next week. The levy will apply to the coastal town of Oeiras, situated just half an hour from Lisbon.Starting from Thursday, August 15, visitors to the town will be required to pay a €1 tax for each night they stay.

This charge will be applied to all paid overnight stays in hotels and local accommodation establishments within the Oeiras municipality.Oeiras is following in the footsteps of other popular Portuguese tourist destinations such as Lisbon, Porto and parts of the Algarve, which already have similar tourist taxes in place.In a statement, the Oeiras local authority confirmed that the town will begin charging a tourist tax, "under the scope of the Regulation of Administrative Permissions, Taxes and Other Revenues (RAPTOR) of the municipality".

The council of Oeiras explained that the tax is designed to "ensure a counterpart for the enjoyment of a set of activities and investments promoted by the municipality of Oeiras, related to tourism".

This includes safeguarding local businesses, as well as aiding the development of cultural and recreational hubs, managing public spaces, providing municipal information and support services for tourists, surveillance, security and civil protection within the municipality, reports the Liverpool Echo.