Travel Question of the Day: Simon Calder on Malta's new tourist tax

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Malta: The new tax is certainly annoying

Q Please can you explain how Malta’s new tourist tax is calculated? I am going to Malta in August. We have been told through a friend who asked a travel agent that it could be anything up to €5 a day depending on the rating of the hotel.

Kevin Bowler

A The travel agent is mistaken. Malta is indeed intending to join the growing list of destinations that charge additional local taxes to fund projects that protect the environment. But its levy, which comes into effect on 1 June, is one of the lowest. Tourists aged 18 or over must pay €0.50 a night, with a cap of €5 - so visitors who stay more than 10 nights are rewarded (or at least not penalised so much) with a maximum tax bill of £4 per person for the whole stay.

The rating of the property is not relevant. Perhaps the agent was confused with the tax in the Balearic Islands, where the “eco-levy” takes effect on 1 July. It will be charged on everyone aged 16 or over. For stays in four-star apartments or five-star hotels, the tax is €2 per person per night, but most tourists will pay €1 or €1.50. (While there isn’t a cap in Mallorca, Menorca or Ibiza, the additional tax is halved after nine nights).

For both Malta and the Balearics it is not entirely clear how the tax will be collected, but the likely scenario is that you will pay on check-in or check-out.

While the new tax is certainly annoying, the effective overall rate for hotels in Malta (including VAT) will be under 10 per cent, compared with 20 per cent for stays in the UK.

For our comprehensive guide to the new Mediterranean taxes, see bit.ly/MedTaxes

Every day, our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles readers’ questions. Just email yours to: s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder