Évora is the first municipality in Alentejo with a tourist tax

Évora begins applying the municipal tourist tax this Friday, becoming the first municipality in the Alentejo to charge for overnight stays and bringing the number of municipalities with this measure to at least 43 in Portugal.

The tourist tax in the municipality of Évora will be 1.5 euros, with some exemptions.

In a clarification released on Wednesday, the Évora City Council confirmed the entry into force of the tax, despite “doubts, criticisms, suggestions and proposals” from tour operators.

“ The first few months will be a period of adaptation ” for operators and the council “to the application and operation of the tourist tax, seeking, through dialogue and clarification, to respond to questions that will arise in practice”, highlighted the municipality.

In light of the complaints, the municipality decided to extend the deadline for the first communication to the council regarding the August charge, initially scheduled for between September 1st and 15th.

Therefore, the municipality's tourist operators will only have to make the first communication between October 1st and 15th , coinciding with the deadline for the second communication relating to September, and payment within the following 10 working days.

With the application of the tourist tax in Évora, the Alentejo region is no longer the only one in the country without municipalities that charge the tax , with the Évora City Council expecting a minimum annual revenue of 600 thousand euros.

Currently, of the 308 Portuguese municipalities, more than 40 already apply tourist taxes, with Terras de Bouro, in the district of Braga, being the last to join the list, in June.

Each municipality sets the fee and defines the rules for its application, but there are criteria common to all, such as exemption for children (they start paying from the age of 12 in some cases, later in others) and people with a disability equal to or greater than 60%, in addition to citizens staying for medical treatment.

The maximum rate charged until this month in Portugal is four euros per night, which has been the case in Lisbon since last September.

In mid-July, the Secretary of State for Tourism, Commerce and Services, Pedro Machado, defended the “rationalization” of the application of the tourist tax in Portugal, considering that the current disparity and municipal management do not always guarantee “added value and advantage” for the sector.