A plan to hit tourists with a tax for staying in city hotels could rake in almost €2 million for Galway City Council.

City Councillors eyeing the pot of gold at the end of the tourism rainbow will write to Government for permission to charge a bed-tax on tourists staying in local hotels.

A report to the City Council’s Corporate Policy Group considered the possibility of introducing a ‘hotel bed tax’ or ‘visitor’ levy on tourists staying in Galway.

Based on bed-occupancy information provided by Fáilte Ireland, the report said a €2 per room tax would’ve netted €1.6m in 2017 and 2018.

A room rate with a bed levy of 2% would bring in an estimated income of €1.9m to the Council based on 2018 occupancy.

The report noted that legally local authorities cannot levy bed taxes on visitors.

But it was agreed at Monday’s City Council meeting that a letter would be sent to Finance Minister Michael McGrath to introduce legislation allowing the local authority to levy a bed tax.

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