Tourist tax in Russia: introduction of resort tax

At the end of August 2016, in the Altai Territory, a meeting of the Presidium of the State Council was held, at which the question was considered of introducing a tourist tax in Russia, as well as determining its size. Such a measure should increase investment inflows into the resort infrastructure. All the details and details of the discussion are posted on the official presidential website, and this article will give a general idea of what kind of collection it is and who specifically it will concern.

What is a tourist tax?

Currently there is no official definition of the resort collection, but the main thing for this tax is that it is not installed throughout the country, but is intended only for resort areas. Tourist tax in Russia in 2016 will not be charged.

The introduction of such a tax for our country is not new. Such a measure was enshrined in the Law "On Resort Collection from Individuals" from 1991 to 2004. And now they decided to return to it.

Who will have to pay a tourist fee in Russia

The resort tax will be borne by citizens wishing to spend their holidays in resort towns. It will touch not only Russians, but also persons arriving to rest to Russia from abroad.

Resort taxation does not apply to legal entities and individual entrepreneurs who operate in the resorts. Therefore, there is nothing to be afraid of for various sanatoriums, hotels and rest homes, only tourists who are vacationing in Russia will pay for the tourist tax.

In order to pay the fee did not cause unnecessary problems and inconveniences, it was decided not to include it in the cost of the voucher, and it will be taken at the place of arrival of the resort, at the time of registration at the entrance or exit.

In what areas will the resort fee be introduced

The collection will be introduced gradually, but not immediately in all resort areas. The first will be four beloved vacationers zone. Pilot project will be launched in Stavropol and Crimea, Altai and Krasnodar Territory.

Based on the results of the experiment, it becomes clear whether to leave a tourist tax in Russia. 2016 should show whether it makes sense to introduce it on all areas of mass recreation and what amount of collection will be most optimal. The decision on the need for resort tax will be made by the regional authorities.

When the fee is introduced

Today it is still impossible to say from what period holidaymakers will have to pay an additional tax to the treasury. But the largest tour operators predict that this measure can be introduced as early as 2017. That is, those who plan their vacation in advance and intend next year to go to one of the pilot areas, you need to be ready to pay an additional resort fee.

The tourist tax in Russia in 2016 is at the stage of preparation, the final calculations and the development of the legislative base.

Tax amount

Perhaps the most important question that citizens are interested in is how much the tourist tax will be in Russia. In order not to beat the pockets of tourists, the tax should be small. According to the Minister of Finance, the fee should be in the range of 50-100 rubles. But the Ministry of Tourism of Crimea has already announced the amount of 300 rubles.

The collected funds are planned to be spent on the development of resorts, and consequently, making their stay more comfortable and interesting. If you consider that the final word on the introduction of the resort fee remains with the regional authorities, most likely, the amount of tax will directly depend on their solution. But more detailed information should be disclosed by the law on the resort gathering, which is not yet available.

How is it planned to distribute the funds received

Despite the fact that the tourist gathering in Russia is only at the planning stage, in the world practice such a measure has not been new for a long time.

On the example of other countries, it can be concluded that the resort fee helps improve the conditions of sanatorium treatment and effectively develop the entire infrastructure of the resort.

Theoretically, for the accumulation of collected finances, it is planned to organize a certain fund, from which the funds will be distributed and directed to the things necessary for a certain resort. And according to various estimates for five years, the tax should bring from 2 to 6 billion rubles.

Sweethearts

Although the amount of the fee should not be substantial, many are concerned with the question of whether benefits will be extended to pay the fee and what categories of citizens it will concern.

Definitely, benefits will be, but it is impossible to say specifically who will treat them. But if we draw an analogy with the previous Law of the RSFSR "On the resort fee from individuals", then we can expect to be exempt from payment of the fee:

• Those who arrived on vacation in a sanatorium, boarding houses, holiday homes for vouchers or kursykam, here also come to the towns and recreation centers;
• Minors before they reach 16 years of age;
• Persons with disabilities and their accompanying persons;
• People who found themselves in the resort in connection with the production need, i.e. Travel and students;
• Persons arriving at the resort not for recreation, but changing their permanent place of residence;
• Citizens whose tourist route is pre-planned by tourist-excursion organizations and enterprises or traveling on route books;
• Men and women of retirement age who are already 60 and 55 years old, respectively;
• Children visiting their parents of pensioners living in the resort area.

Opponents of the resort gathering

Not all support the introduction of the resort fee. Against such a measure are the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice, Rospotrebnadzor and the Ministry of Economic Development, as well as the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Representatives of these five agencies believe that the additional tax can significantly increase the cost of recreation within the country, which clearly will not speak in his favor.

World practice

There are two types of resort collection:

1. Asian. Characterized by the fact that the holidaymaker, in addition to the amount for living in a hotel or holiday home, pays a fixed amount daily, also this may be some percentage of the total cost of services provided.
2. European. In this case, the finances are distributed among three parties: a tour operator, a resting place (hotel, hotel, sanatorium), a regional treasury.

Although the purpose of introducing a resort fee is the development of regions, this does not guarantee a significant improvement in the situation. Therefore, many countries, popular among tourists, are slow to introduce a tourist tax. Such, for example, are Turkey, India and Bulgaria.