Berlin to tax visiting dogs

02 Mar, 2014

Tourists to Berlin who are accompanied by their dogs will have to pay an added sum on their hotel bills.

From the beginning of 2014 visitors to Berlin are paying a five per cent hotel tax on top of the price of their hotel room, as is now the case in many European cities. But the finance ministry has now confirmed that it is going to raise an additional tax on visiting dogs – with the exception of guide dogs – although it is not yet clear how much this will be.

The hotel tax on Berlin’s tourists is expected to net the city €25 million in the first year, to be reinvested in the tourist industry.

Everyone who owns a dog in Germany has to pay an annual dog licence fee within 30 days of taking up residency. The fee depends on the size of the animal and the place of residency. In Berlin second and subsequent dogs are charged more than a single animal.