Mayor Nino Haase emphasizes the important role the lodging tax plays for the city: “A new tax isn’t exactly cause for celebration—not even for me. But it provides a sustainable foundation for funding our successful tourism initiatives and marketing efforts, even during difficult budget times, without placing a direct burden on our local businesses. This is particularly important to the city council.”

The City of Mainz spends 8 to 10 million euros annually on events and institutions that also serve tourism purposes and rely on municipal subsidies: from the street carnival and St. John’s Night to the Gutenberg Museum. These are so-called voluntary services.

“Given the city’s need to cut costs, such subsidies are a particular focus of municipal oversight. Thanks to revenue from the lodging tax, we can secure these subsidies—which are so important for maintaining our city’s appeal—on a sustainable budgetary basis,” explains Mayor and Finance Commissioner Daniel Köbler. “By introducing such a tax, Mainz is complying with a key requirement of the local government oversight authority, which stipulates that the city must tap into more revenue potential to reduce the budget deficit. Many cities throughout Germany have been levying such a tax for years. In our bylaws, we have chosen a low-bureaucracy approach based on the principle of ‘keep it simple.’”

“With the lodging tax, we can specifically fund activities that are close to our hearts while simultaneously investing in our city as a tourist destination, which will pay off many times over in the long term,” Mayor Haase and Mayor Köbler jointly clarify the clear objective.