2024-04-02 14:30:00
47news asked regional deputies what they thought about the idea of forcing guests to the region to pay more. But most of all our interlocutors were outraged by something else.
In St. Petersburg, from April 1, a resort tax was introduced for tourists (100 rubles per day per person over 18 years of age). There are no plans for this in the Leningrad region yet, the tourism committee of the regional government told our publication, adding that Leningraders will also have to pay, and there are no exceptions for them. Every year, about 100 thousand people come from the Leningrad region from among those who stayed at the hotel and spent at least two nights there, the city tourism committee told Fontanka.ru.
The law was adopted last summer by the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg. Forecast – 300 million per year. They will be used to develop tourism infrastructure. The fine for those who refuse to pay is up to 2 thousand rubles. It so happened that the other day Vladimir Putin hastened Governor Beglov for the fact that the city is only third in terms of attendance.
47news asked regional legislators whether such a measure is needed in the Leningrad region and whether it is fair that residents of our region will have to pay in St. Petersburg.
According to the leader of the LDPR faction Andrei Lebedevthere is no need to introduce a fee, this will reduce the tourist attractiveness of the region.
– As for the payment by regional residents, this is outrageous. Let’s say that if a city resident goes to Vyborg, then he does not need to pay, but if a person from the Leningrad region checks into a hotel in St. Petersburg, then he pays. So we welcome St. Petersburg residents like family in the summer, and they “pay” us? It’s as if I came to a neighbor, and he demanded money. The city and the region are practically a single whole; this agglomeration must be approached selectively,” says the interlocutor, adding that if there is a need to stay in a hotel, there will be no fee to pay: “If necessary, I will sue.”
As the Tourism Committee reported, in 2022, the Leningrad region was visited by 1.86 million tourists staying in hotels. Thus, income can be at the level of 200 million rubles.
United Russia MP Mikhail Kolomytsev I agree with my colleague and believe that it is too early to introduce such a measure in the Leningrad region, the potential has not yet been revealed.
– First of all, we need to increase attractiveness; any encumbrances will not contribute to this. By the way, as far as I know, there is no clear opinion in the world either. Somewhere there is, somewhere not. And it’s not a fact that the fundraising plans will be confirmed in the end. If it’s about collection from Leningraders, then each region makes its own decision, the consumer will choose where to go. I don’t rule out that hotels in Murino will receive additional guests,” the deputy said, either jokingly or seriously.
The new rules in St. Petersburg apply to adults, and you will have to pay if your stay at the hotel exceeds 24 hours. There is no charge for the day of arrival.
Deputy ZakSa, Vice Speaker Sayad Aliyev against the urban idea, in his opinion, the tourism cluster in the Leningrad region is still developing, and the introduction of a fee could alienate tourists. Aliyev is categorical regarding the collection of fees from Leningraders.
– If it’s about guests from other regions, that’s normal. But it shouldn’t concern residents of the Leningrad region. Summer is coming, St. Petersburg residents will go on vacation en masse to the Leningrad region and will enjoy all the benefits of our region. So what, should we take money from them too? So you can tax each other endlessly, this is wrong, in many ways we are a single whole.
The experiment began in May 2018. In the Krasnodar region the fee is 50 rubles per day (58 million collected), in the Stavropol region – 100 rubles. (1.2 billion), in Altai – 50 rubles. (165 million), RBC reported.
Deputy from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Ivan Apostolevsky I recalled that a year and a half ago, at one of the commissions of the Legislative Assembly, the resort fee was discussed, but the people’s representatives did not come to a consensus.
– But, of course, the money must be targeted. As for the idea itself, I’ll give an example: at the entrance to Sosnovy Bor we have a beautiful bay coast, and in the summer cars from St. Petersburg line up along the side of the road for several kilometers, sometimes in two rows. These are thousands of people, a very large load on the territory. But neither the district nor the region receives anything. On the other hand, we are interconnected, and charging Leningraders raises questions,” says Apostolevsky.
United Russia Andrey Gardashnikov told 47news that he is categorically against such initiatives.
– A tourist who comes to us must also pay extra. This is me figuratively, of course. But seriously, tourists come not for a day, but for a week, two, and that’s not a hundred rubles. We say that we need to attract tourists, but with such amounts we will only scare them away,” Gardashnikov remembered about arithmetic.
21 categories of citizens are exempt from payment (veterans, disabled people of groups 1-2, university students in St. Petersburg, families with many children, and others). List on the city administration website. Beneficiaries must have with them the original document confirming the availability of the benefit or its certified copy.
Deputy from A Just Russia Alexander Smirnov believes that even 100 rubles should be economically justified.
– I am against, so to speak, not explicit taxes. I assume that the introduction was due to economic reasons. I don’t think that the Leningrad region should take the same populist measures as St. Petersburg. You need to earn money in normal ways, develop your profitable business – transporting energy resources, developing quarries – replenish the treasury and use these funds to compensate for tourism, says Smirnov.
In general, the idea of the respondents boils down to the fact that domestic tourism needs to be developed, and not created obstacles. In fact, Vladimir Putin spoke about this the other day at a meeting on the development of tourist flows in Russia.
To be the first to know about the main events in the Leningrad region, subscribe to channel 47news in Telegram
1712079036
#wont #pay #Ill #court #Leningrad #region #facing #resort #tax