Tourists In Spain Charged Sneaky Covid-19 Tax On Beer By Expat Bar Owners

As tourists return to Spanish beach resorts and British expats shake off the lockdown blues, a new owner-introduced tax on beer is causing consternation!

Tourism has finally returned to the Spanish Costa’s with the first tourism flights bringing financial relief to British and Spanish-owned bars and restaurants alike. However, savvy bar owners are now unofficially charging a sneaky ‘covid tax’ on alcoholic drinks. Cash-strapped tourists are not overjoyed, nor are British expat residents looking to celebrate their new-found freedom, even although the ‘tax’ amounts to one euro per drink or per round, dependent on the proprietor.

Ryanair, Easy Jet and Wizzair are now flying from Manchester, Newcastle, Luton and Gatwick to Spain’s ever-popular holiday destinations in southern Spain and the Balearic islands, although a good number of bars are still closed and others are closing earlier than in former times, with ‘last orders’ being called at 2 a.m. rather than 4.a.m. Social distancing is still in place, or at least bar owners are attempting to enforce the rule, and face masks are mandatory in public places.

It has to be admitted that a few bars and restaurants have hiked their prices far beyond the one-euro charge, especially those who’ve had to make alterations to their premises before reopening. Expat residents feel the holidays being provided seem more like boot camps, with limited access to beaches, fines for not wearing masks and army patrols in the villages. In the very near future, the Spanish government is bringing in a official covid-19 tax on drinks and meals, but it seems those holidaymakers who’ve taken a chance and arrived are having a good time in spite of the restrictions.