Tokyo Not to Collect Accommodation Tax during 2020 Games

May 16, 2018

Tokyo- The Tokyo metropolitan government decided Wednesday not to impose accommodation tax during the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in the capital.

The three-month tax collection suspension from July 1 that year will be proposed to the metropolitan assembly in June.

The Tokyo government has already promised the International Olympic Committee it will refrain from imposing accommodation tax on athletes, coaches and related officials from participant countries.

But the discriminative measure will require much more tax-related clerical work by accommodation providers, compared with a tax exemption without exception, people familiar with the matter said.

In October 2002, Tokyo became the first local government in Japan to collect accommodation tax, a municipal levy. Under the system, a guest must pay 100 yen for a stay of 10,000-14,999 yen and 200 yen for higher.

In fiscal 2018 through next March, revenues from the tax are estimated to total 2.5 billion yen.

The metropolitan government is using the tax revenues to develop tourist information centers and make information booklets for foreign visitors. Jiji Press