Tourism tax proposed for Dublin: ‘We have issues in Dublin and we need funding to solve them,’ says councillor

Green Party councillor Feljin Jose, who represents the Cabra-Glasnevin area, was responding to comments made by Media Minister Patrick O’Donovan, who said he does not recognise the “dirty, filthy city” described by others.

“If a cabinet minister says, ‘I come to Dublin three days a week and I don’t see any issues here’, then we have a serious problem,” Cllr Jose said.

Mr O’Donovan made his remarks ­during an interview on RTÉ Radio 1’s Today with Claire Byrne, where he argued against introducing a so-called tourist tax on hotel stays in Dublin.

“The last thing we need to do is add costs, to be quite honest,” Mr O’Donovan said.

“As someone who goes to Dublin three or four times a week, I don’t see the dirty, filthy city that’s being talking about.

“That’s not the city I stay in. I see a very welcoming and well-presented city.”

Cllr Jose disagrees, saying a tourism levy could help fund essential services.

“We have huge issues around waste, litter, public spaces, green areas and amenities,” he said.

“Dublin City Council doesn’t have tax-raising powers.

“We desperately need more funding to invest in those amenities. Dublin City Council across all parties have been in support of a tourism tax and have been proposing it for a while.

“We don’t have the power to bring it in and we need the central Government to give us the power to do that.

“It’s a local issue for Dublin city where there’s a huge pressure on the number of tourists that come to the city and it puts a huge pressure on services.

“Every city in Europe has a tourism tax, it’s two or three euro, and it just means we have more funding to deal with those issues to provide better services, cleaner cities, more trees, more investment,” he added.

A 1pc hotel room tax was proposed by Dublin City Council’s finance committee last year.

It was estimated the levy could raise up to €12m annually, but it was not implemented due to a lack of Government support.

Cllr Jose said a carefully targeted levy could still work, and would bring Dublin in line with other major European cities.

“I’d be looking to exclude small B&Bs and hostels,” he said. “But for three- or four-star hotels, €2 or €3 per night is reasonable.

“If you’re staying in a five-star hotel, you should pay even more.

“Every city in Europe has a tourism tax. It’s not radical.

“We want to use that money to make the city cleaner, greener and more liveable for tourists and for locals.”

Speaking to the Irish Independent during a walkabout in his constituency – an invitation extended to, but declined by Mr O’Donovan – Cllr Jose highlighted areas such as Dorset Street, Broadstone and Blessington Street, where ­pressure on infrastructure is clearly visible.

“There are a lot of kids here, but not many playgrounds,” he said.

“We did get a small public square built recently – it’s tucked down a laneway. But that’s the kind of win we’re talking about.

“People were fighting for 20 years just to get a few trees,” he added.

Cllr Jose said residents within the area are calling for more facilities, a dog park, skate park, more playgrounds, better cleaning of the streets and more.

Despite the challenges, Cllr Jose said there remains pride and resilience in the neighbourhoods he represents.

“I think Mr O’Donovan would see a very strong community here, but a community that needs help, and that needs funding,” he said.

“There’s been talk about investment in the city centre, about the Dublin City Taskforce and all of that, but if Cabinet Ministers hold those viewpoints, it’s not going to get better.

“The problem is we can’t raise our own funds.

“We complain about not getting enough from central Government, yet we’re not allowed to introduce things like a hotel tax to fund ourselves. That has to change.”

In response to the invitation to walk the area with the Irish Independent and a local councillor, Mr O’Donovan said: “The Government has not received any formal proposals in relation to a proposed tourist levy.

“It is important to note local authorities already have the power to raise funds for investment in the public realm through the Local Property Tax.

“The Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, is working on developing a new national Tourism Policy whish is expected to be published in the coming months,” he added.