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The total revenue from tourist tax and tax payments in the tourism industry rose by 20.7% to UAH 4.2 billion ($154.5 million).
Ukraine's Economic Development and Trade Ministry says the financial income from tourist tax in Ukraine in 2018 grew by 29.2% to UAH 90.7 million (US$3.3 million) amid a significant increase in the number of tourists from countries not bordering with Ukraine.
Read alsoKyiv authorities raise tourist tax for foreigners, Ukrainians
"In 2018, tourist tax income increased by 29.2% to UAH 90.7 million, while the total revenue from the tourist tax and tax payments in the tourism industry rose by 20.7% to UAH 4.2 billion [$154.5 million]," the ministry's press service said on February 20. Such data indicate an increase in domestic tourist flows and decentralization reform effectiveness through the improvement of local fiscal discipline, it said.
As UNIAN reported earlier, amendments to the Tax Code to introduce new tourist tax rates came into force in Ukraine on January 1, 2019. While earlier, the tourist tax depended on room rates, now it depends on customers' minimum salaries. Thus, for Ukrainian tourists, the tax will account for 0.5% of their minimum salary, while that for foreign tourists will account for 5%. At the same time, in 2019, such a fee shall not exceed UAH 20.86 ($0.77) per day of accommodation for Ukrainian tourists and UAH 208.65 (about EUR 6.5) for foreign tourists.
At the same time, the ministry said that the final amount of the tourist tax would be set by councils of each village, town, and city or by councils of the united territorial communities. Early tourist tax was the same for everyone, and its rate could vary from 0.5 to 1%.