Poland's Finance Ministry: Tourist Fee Revenue to Go to Municipalities, Not Tourism Org

Poland's Ministry of Finance has clarified that the Polish Tourism Organisation (POT) currently receives no income from any fees or taxes. This statement comes in response to a proposed bill that would allocate a portion of a new tourist fee to the organization.

The proposed legislation, introduced by a group of lawmakers, suggests establishing a new tourist and compensation fee to be collected from hotels and other accommodation facilities. Under this proposal, 80 percent of the collected funds would go to municipal budgets, 18 percent to POT, and 2 percent to the accommodation provider. The initiative aims to channel funds towards the promotion of local tourism.

However, Prime Minister Donald Tusk has expressed support for a different approach, advocating that 100 percent of the revenue from the planned tourist fee should be directed to municipalities. He indicated that this adjustment would be made during the legislative process.

The Ministry of Finance further emphasized that POT currently operates on annual subsidies from the state budget for its statutory and promotional tasks. The ministry noted that the proposed bill would eliminate the existing local fee, which entirely benefits municipalities, and replace it with a new structure.

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POT receives an annual subsidy from the state budget for its statutory and promotional tasks.