Poland’s Ministry of Finance proposes changes allowing municipalities to collect local and health resort fees regardless of visitor purpose, with stays capped at 30 days.
Fees to Be Collected Regardless of Stay Purpose
Currently, local fees are collected for each started day by natural persons staying for more than one day for tourist, recreational or training purposes in municipalities with beneficial climatic properties, landscape values, and suitable conditions. In spas, municipal councils may introduce health resort fees.
The Ministry of Finance proposes allowing municipalities to collect these fees regardless of the visitor’s purpose, with stays limited to 30 consecutive days. This solution would prevent fees from being applied to people working in these locations, including seasonal workers.
Changes in Fee Collection Methods
Currently, municipal councils can differentiate local and health resort fee rates, but regulations don’t specify criteria for this differentiation. After changes, differentiation will be based on: length of stay, season of stay, and facility category.
The method of collecting fees will also change. Currently, municipal councils can collect fees through designated collectors, but this is considered inefficient. The proposal is to shift fee collection to entities providing hotel services to tighten the system.
People with Disabilities to Receive Expanded Exemptions
Currently, local and health resort fees are not collected from blind persons and their guides. According to the Ministry of Finance, this exemption scope is insufficient for supporting activities of persons with severe disabilities.
Tourist Fee Still Under Consideration
Work is underway in Poland’s Sejm on introducing a tourist fee that municipalities could collect regardless of whether they have climatic or landscape values. MPs from Poland 2050 and Left have submitted proposals, and the Ministry of Sport and Tourism is also working on its own project.
