DistantNews
Support us
🇱🇹 Lithuania /Economy & Trade

Why Should Vilnius Residents and Tourists Pay the Same Price for a Ferris Wheel Bought With Kaunas Taxpayers’ Money?

From Delfi · () Lithuanian

Translated from Lithuanian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Opinion Named sources New plan
  • A Kaunas resident questioned why visitors and locals will pay the same standard ticket price for a Ferris wheel funded through a nearly €5 million contract.
  • The reader also questioned why Kauno švara, a waste-management company, commissioned the €17,400 foundations and whether related costs could affect municipal services.
  • The approved price list includes discounts based on age, status and group size, but no residency discount for Kaunas residents.

A Kaunas resident is asking why tourists and residents will pay the same price to ride a Ferris wheel purchased with money from the city’s taxpayers.

The reader’s letter, published by the portal Kas vyksta Kaune, questions who is ultimately paying for the attraction being built on Nemunas Island and who it is meant to serve. The contract signed by Kaunas IN is worth nearly €5 million, while the standard ticket for visitors aged 16 and over will cost €12.

The reader argues that registered Kaunas residents should receive a discount because they helped finance the infrastructure through taxes. Museums, swimming pools and public transport in parts of Europe often offer lower prices to local residents, the letter says. Without such a discount, the resident argues, Kaunas taxpayers are effectively subsidizing entertainment for visitors.

Why should a resident of Vilnius, Klaipėda or a foreign tourist, who pays neither personal income tax nor real estate tax in Kaunas, buy a ticket at the same price as me?

· Kaunas residentThe reader questioned the absence of a local-resident discount.

The letter also raises questions about the attraction’s foundations. A €17,400 contract was commissioned by Kauno švara, a company whose main purpose is waste management, rather than by the municipality. The reader asks whether the Ferris wheel’s costs are being spread among municipal companies and whether residents could eventually see unrelated expenses reflected in higher waste collection or other utility charges.

The city council approved the ticket prices in July. Children aged four to 15, students, seniors and people with disabilities will pay €8. Family tickets will cost €35 for two adults and two children, or €39 for two adults and three children. A VIP gondola will cost €50 for one or two people, with an additional passenger charged €25. Children under four and adults accompanying organized groups will ride free, while some groups will receive discounts. The price list includes no discount based on residency. The municipality said it set the prices after reviewing similar attractions in Lithuania and abroad.

Otherwise, it means that Kaunas residents are subsidizing entertainment for visitors out of their own pockets.

· Kaunas residentThe reader criticized the uniform pricing policy.
About this summary

Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog