The tourist fee set up in Percé last May made it possible to collect $155,000, a sum well below the expected million due in particular to the lack of cooperation from merchants.
“We were aware that our projections would not be reached in year 1,” said Mayor Cathy Poirier. That said, we have to admit: we were hoping for greater participation from merchants. Under the regulations, it is up to them to collect the new tax.
In its balance sheet, the municipality estimates that “a little more than 90 merchants” have levied the fee of $1 provided for each transaction of $20 or more. The amount collected thanks to the new collection should “grow significantly” over the next few weeks, specifies the municipality, since additional payments are expected.
A controversial fee
Such a royalty remains unprecedented in Quebec – and a source of anger in Percé. Opposing merchants are worried about seeing the municipality assume the power to consult their balance sheet and impose a tax that applies as much to Gaspesians shopping in Percé as to tourists.
Some also feared that the fee would scare away visitors – an apprehension challenged by the 2022 traffic, which exceeds the attendance recorded in the region by 2.2% compared to the “exceptional” year 2021.
From May to September, “despite the reopening of international borders”, approximately 570,000 tourists visited Gaspésie. This influx, especially in the summer, puts significant pressure on the finances of Percé, which has to spend $800,000 – approximately 10% of its budget – to build and maintain its tourist infrastructure.
The fee is intended as a means of diversifying the municipality’s income so that the 3,000 Perceans are no longer the only ones to bear the burden of welcoming these tourists. The new tax does not apply to residents of Percé or to people from outside who work there.
The mayor is sorry for the lack of cooperation from certain merchants. “It’s a shame because it will force us to look elsewhere for the money we need for our tourism infrastructure. »
Several merchants, resistant to the new regulations, seized the Superior Court to challenge its validity. The regulation provides for monetary penalties ranging from $2,000 to $4,000 per day, depending on the offenses committed, to recalcitrant merchants. The municipality specifies that it is waiting for the judgment to carry out verifications. The Superior Court must render its decision in the coming months.