Puerto Iguazú Councilor Questions Ecotourism Tax

Body equivalent to a City Council, the Puerto Iguazú Deliberative Council approved, this Friday (13), the bill that deals with the budget and municipal taxes for 2025, analyzing topics such as the Ecotourism Tax.

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The approval score was tight, four votes to three. Opposition lawmakers questioned the fact that the articles of the project leave open the possibility of adjustments and exemptions, which would be at the discretion of Mayor Claudio Filippa.

To the newspaper The territory, Alejandro Verón, one of the opposing councilors, said he believes that the approved text gives “superpowers” ​​to the mayor, by listing the taxpayer’s obligations, but not clearly establishing the obligations of the public authorities.

Verón also noted that there are questions about the constitutionality of the Ecotourism Tax, charged to tourists who stay at least one night in the city or are stopped by municipal inspectors on National Highway No. 12.

“This tax has been completely changed. It is charged at hotels, at the entrance to Puerto Iguazú,” Verón described. “When it is charged at hotels, the business owner himself has to pay it. This is a patch on this unconstitutional tax.”

About the Ecotourism Tax

Despite questions about its legality, the Ecotourism Tax remains in force, supported by similar examples adopted by other Argentine cities. The amount is equivalent to the cost of a liter of gasoline. premium, currently around R$7,50 in Argentina.

Recently, the border province of Misiones itself announced its intention to charge, from 2025, a tax on foreign tourists staying in the province.

Such a fee, however, would not be applied in cities that already have their own charges, as is the case of Puerto Iguazú.

According to the local government, the funds raised through the Ecotourism Tax help cover the costs of basic services and infrastructure used by tourists visiting the Argentine border city.