In Dresden they’ll be charging €1.30 per guest per room beginning in February. (courtesy German National Tourism Board)

On Feb. 1, Dresden will begin imposing a room tax (the Kurtaxe) of €1.30 per day on all visitors 18 and above staying overnight in a city hotel. The city claims the tax is being imposed in order to sustain the quality and increase the quantity of Dresden’s attractions.

The tax will be collected by all establishments that provide paid accommodation. The tax comes as a surprise from a city that was recently cited in the German press for being one of the few municipalities in the country that had no debt.

Christoph Münch, a spokesman for the Dresden Marketing Board said, “The new city tax with its moderate amount will help to improve the quality of the cultural offerings of Dresden even more.

“Since several years Dresden has been without debts. The city’s parliament decided that Dresden even in the future should avoid any debts. Nevertheless to improve the cultural infrastructure, some important investments have to be made. Dresden does not aim at all to prevent visitors from coming to Dresden or to stay overnight in our beautiful city. Dresden welcomes all its guests.”

The Kurtaxe will apply to any contractual agreements for 2014 that tour operators, travel agencies and accommodation facilities have already entered into. The tax will be levied in addition to any payment already received from the client.

The Kurtaxe is aimed exclusively at tourists. The tax won’t be levied on those business travelers that don’t visit cultural facilities during their stay. Especially for those staying in hotels “that regularly provide accommodation for delegates attending major conferences, the hotel management may already have cleared with us that you are not liable for this charge.”

Business travelers can also claim a refund by applying to the municipal revenue office (Steuer- und Stadtkassenamt der Stadt Dresden) with such supporting documentation as the program organized by a client or an employer.

“The revenues will be directed at not only at maintaining tourism attractions like municipal run museums or theatres, but to improve as well the cultural infrastructure of Dresden," Münch said. "One of the biggest projects is the complete refurbishment of Kulturpalast as a new concert hall for the renowned Dresden Philharmonic, including also a new location for the Municipal Library and Cabaret Herkuleskeule.

“Another important project which should be finished in 2016 will be the transformation of the former historic power Station Kraftwerk Mitte as new venue for the Staatsoperette Dresden, the only existing independent repertory theatre in the German speaking countries dedicated to the genre of Operetta and Musical and Theater Junge Generation.”

For many any taxation is seen through skeptical eyes. When Britain’s infamous Air Passenger Duty began in 1994 as a tax of £5 it barely raised eyebrows, today it ranges between £69 and £138 per passenger.

“Dresden does not have any plans to raise its city tax in the near future,” says Münch. “Our city is in competition with other cultural destinations, we will always have in mind to offer the best price quality value for the visitors.”

Follow me on Twitter @JRuggia1.