The figures, released by Ricardo Valente from the city council, showed that revenue was up compared to the same period last year, with the bulk of the funds coming in from hotels (38.19 percent), followed by revenue from guest accommodation (34.39 percent) while 27.43 percent came from stays on Airbnb.
The tourist tax charged to guests in Porto was first brought in on 1 March 2018, with a cost of €2 per night, per person over the age of 13 for a maximum of seven consecutive nights.
During 2018 the city council raised €10.4 million, representing income from 5.2 million overnight stays meeting the conditions of the taxes.
The first revision of the Porto Tourist Tax Regulation introduces exemption from the payment of the tax to persons who are undergoing eviction or similar situations, as well as the extension of the exemption to the second companion.
According to the councilman, improvements have also been made in the area of supervision of the rules and those failing to comply with the implication of the tax can face a fine ranging from €75 to €40,000, depending on whether they are in relation to a single individual or to a business entity and the degree of severity of the infraction.
As part of the ongoing review of the tourist tax, CDU Councilwoman Ilda Figueiredo argued that the exemption from the tax should be extended from 13 to 16 year olds. The PS party stressed that the application of exemptions should be extended to those who visit the city for educational reasons, a situation that, according to Ricardo Valente, has already been taken into account as the tourist tax is limited to a maximum stay of seven days in the city.