Pay 16% tax at hotels for tourists?
As a tourist in Colombia, do I need to pay the 16% hotel tax?
If not, how do I get this money back?
Best Answer
I've just been able to find references in Spanish but it seems that you don't have to pay that tax. Here is a website explaining general taxes in Colombia. The tax you're referring to would be the IVA (VAT in english).
If you google something like "IVA hoteles Colombia" (VAT hotels Colombia), you can find numerous websites stating that foreigners do not need to pay this tax if they have purchased some kind of holiday package like this one or this one (both of them in spanish). In case you don't have a package like this it seems that you should pay the tax anyway.
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Is there a tourist tax?
If you've traveled, you've likely paid a tourist tax before. You may have never noticed it; the tax is often worked into airline tickets or the taxes you pay at your hotel or Airbnb. In some countries, like Japan, you pay the tax when you leave the country.Why do you have to pay tourist tax?
For some, it's to do with trying to curb the number of tourists and to prevent overtourism. For others it's almost like a sustainability tax on each visitor. The money from these taxes goes towards maintaining tourism facilities and protecting natural resources.How much is the Spanish tourist tax?
Generally, though, in Spain, the tourist tax is set at around 1 euro per night.Does the UK have a tourist tax?
In July 2020 the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced a series of initiatives to boost job creation in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, including a temporary 5% VAT rate on most tourist and hospitality-related activities.Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Karolina Grabowska, Nataliya Vaitkevich, Nataliya Vaitkevich, Nataliya Vaitkevich