Amsterdam’s Socialist Party wants highest-in-Europe tourist tax to rise even higher
While the election campaigns for the parliamentary election on October 29 are just getting started, the SP in Amsterdam has already published its campaign for the municipal elections in March next year. The Socialist Party wants to fund the spearhead of its campaign - free public transport - by increasing Amsterdam’s already high tourist tax.
Amsterdam’s tourist tax, the tax tourists pay for an overnight stay in the city, is currently 12.5 percent of the total value of the booking - the highest in Europe. An overnight stay in a three-star hotel costs an average of €18.45 per night.
The SP wants to significantly increase that tax, adding an average of 20 euros to all tourist stays, AT5 reported. By more than doubling this tax, which generated almost €286 million for the municipal treasury in 2024, the SP wants to fund the costs of providing free public transport for all residents of Amsterdam.
“This would allow us, as a municipality, to easily support the entire net revenue of the GVB, gain control over tourism in the city, and allow tourists to contribute to a cleaner and more affordable city,” the SP said.
The high tourist tax is intended as a deterrent for tourists, but has not had the effect the municipality was hoping for. In 2021, the city set a limit for the maximum tourist overnight stays at 20 million per year. But that limit has been exceeded since its implementation. Last year, the number of tourist overnight stays rose to almost 23 million, a new record. And the municipality expects the number to be even higher this year.
On Monday, a group of Amsterdam residents filed a lawsuit against the municipality for exceeding its own tourism limits and not doing enough to fight overtourism.
In addition to free public transport for locals, the Amsterdam SP also wants a municipal housing company and more public gardens and urban forests, among other things.
