The government will introduce a fresh taxation for tourists. vacation in Poland is more costly by 200 PLN!

The end of inexpensive holidays in Poland is getting closer. The largest Polish cities, headed by Krakow and Warsaw, exert strong force on the government to introduce a nationwide tourist taxation as shortly as possible. The fresh tribute is intended to replace the current, heavy limited local fee and hit the pocket of each tourist – without exception. The proposed rates scope from 4.50 to 7 PLN for all night spent in a hotel, guesthouse or apartment. This means that a weekly vacation for a household of 4 can cost nearly 200 PLN.

The initiative has already gained preliminary support from the Ministry of athletics and Tourism, and legislative work can start any minute. Although the government is inactive examining details, local governments have no doubt: tourists must start contributing to the costs they generate. This is simply a real breakthrough in the approach to financing tourism in Poland, which will be felt by anyone who plans to relax in the most popular cities of the country.

No more "climate charge". What is simply a fresh tourist tax?

Currently there is simply a strategy in Poland local charge, commonly referred to as ‘climate’. However, its download is subject to restrictive conditions. The municipality must at the same time have favourable climatic properties, scenery features and developed tourist infrastructure. In practice, clean air is simply a key requirement, which excludes many large cities.

The best example is Kraków. The capital of Małopolska, despite millions of tourists a year, had to suspend charging in 2015 due to alarming smog level. The problem of air pollution, especially during the winter season, prevents the city from utilizing this origin of income. The maximum local fee rate in 2024 was just PLN 3.22 per individual per night.

New the tourism taxation is expected to work completely differently. Its tallness will depend, not on the air quality, but on the tourist attractiveness of the locality. It is simply a revolutionary change that will open the way for charging through cities specified as Kraków, Warsaw, Wrocław or Poznań, cities that have not been able to number on it so far, and bear tremendous costs associated with the operation of tourist traffic.

How much precisely are we paying? Government examines circumstantial rates

The most crucial question is: how much will it cost? According to the proposals that hit government desks, the fresh fee would be from PLN 4,50 to PLN 7 per alleged personalism. Importantly, it would include all tourists, both from Poland and abroad. The Ministry of athletics and Tourism leans towards an average rate of PLN 5.

Let's translate it into circumstantial numbers. A weekly vacation for a couple, at a maximum rate of 7 PLN, is an additional cost of 98 PLN (2 people x 7 nights x 7 zł). For a four-man family, the bill grows to PLN 196. This is simply a crucial amount to be added to the vacation budget.

Potential profits for cities are huge. Officials from Krakow estimated that the introduction of taxation could bring to the city's money even PLN 80 million per year. It's money that's urgently needed. Only in the summertime of 2024 Krakow visited the evidence 4.5 million people, and Warsaw hosted almost 10 million tourists throughout 2023.

"Locals bear costs". Why do the cities want a fresh charge?

The self-government arguments are very strong. As stressed by Kraków councillor Agnieszka Łętocha, 90% of the inhabitants of tourist cities do not benefit straight from tourism, and must bear its real costs. It's about increased waste production, higher prices in shops and services, night noise, crowded public transportation and traffic jams on the streets.

"The introduction of a tourist charge could contribute to an efficient and sustainable management of tourist traffic," explains Monika Beuth, spokesperson for the Capital City Hall. The fresh taxation appropriations would be intended precisely to mitigate these negative effects: maintenance of cleanliness, renovation of monuments, improvement of public transport or investment in infrastructurewhich serves both tourists and residents.

The draft amendment, prepared by Kraków in cooperation with the Union of Polish Cities, assumes that 100% of taxation revenues would go straight to the municipal budget. This guarantees that money will be spent locally for sustainable tourism policy purposes.

Europe already has that. Will Poland join the remainder of the continent?

Tourist taxation is not a Polish invention. This is simply a standard solution utilized in most European countries. According to Radio Kraków, in the Czech Republic tourists pay an average of EUR 0.67 per night, in Spain EUR 2.19 and in Switzerland EUR 3.15. The evidence holder is Amsterdam, where the fee is 12.5% of the reservation value plus an additional €4 per night, which for many tourists means an additional cost of EUR 100-130 per week.

Interestingly, despite specified advanced rates, the number of tourists in Amsterdam does not decrease. It shows that a well-managed fee does not gotta deter guests. In Krakow, even ideas arise to go 1 step further and, like Venice, tax one-day tourists toowho do not sleep in the city but besides make costs.

The government is presently examining 2 legislative options. The first, simpler, is to amend the current rules and extend the anticipation of collecting a local fee. The second, more comprehensive, is the creation of a completely fresh Tourist taxation Act. Regardless of the way chosen, the fee is to be freed, among others, from the infirmary and organized groups of children and young people.

When will the fresh taxation enter into force? Government faces a hard decision

The ball is on the government's side now. Krakow councillors had already unanimously adopted a resolution in October 2024, which they sent to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, demanding that work be accelerated. The current government seems more open to this solution than the predecessors who feared a negative social consequence to the introduction of a fresh tax.

The pace of legislative work will now be crucial. If the bill is prepared and adopted in 2025, the first tourist fees could be paid in the summertime period of 2026. For millions of Poles planning vacation in the country, this means that additional expenditure must be included in the budget. Are we ready to add up to PLN 200 to the holiday? The answer to this question will be as shortly as the government formally presents a draft of the fresh rules.