Amsterdam announces plan for 20% tourist tax

Amsterdam is planning to increase its tourist tax from 12.5% to 20%, making it by far the highest in Europe.

The city’s new coalition Government confirmed the agreement for the increase in a document published this week.

The overnight tax will rise to 16% of the accommodation price next year, then it will increase a further one percentage point every year until it hits 20%.

The two new ruling parties, PRO Amsterdam and D66, also announced they were abandoning plans by the previous Government to ban tourists from visiting coffee shops, which are known to sell marijuana in various forms.