Campaign For A Living Venice

The tassa di sbarco explained in five points. From 2022 on there will be reservations.

By Roberta De Rossi and Alberto Vitucci

4 Febuary 2019

VENICE. “The entrance fee will be 6 Euro, which will be lowered by a series of exemptions or raised up to 10 Euro on “bollino nero” days. This year we will apply the same fee of 3 Euro to everyone, to avoid complaints in this transitional phase. We don’t envision turnstiles, or any heavy handed rollout: the city will remain open, and we hope lots of people will come. Our goal is to give some relief to the citizens and businesses of Venice and the islands from the excess costs related to tourism: just for cleaning the old city there’s a 30 million Euro delta today being paid in Tari bills by Venetians and businesses. Then there is maintenance and new security officers for just the old city and the islands”.

So explained Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, finally unveiling the contents of the resolution that has instituted the new “CDA: contrbiuto di accesso” (entrance fee) to Venice and the islands. The fee will be applied to day visitors, as an alternative to the occupancy tax which is the responsibility of hotels and bed and breakfasts, as authorized by the recent Finance Law. Visitors will pay starting 1 May 2019.

1) HOW MUCH TO PAY. “The ordinary fee will be 6 Euro”, explains the Budget Commissioner, Michele Zuin, “which will be lowered by a series of exemptions or raised depending on the period: we have some days with bollino verde at 3 Euro, rosso at 8 Euro, and nero for exceptional problems of crowding at 10 Euro. Only in 2019 it will be 3 Euro for everyone. The resolution calls for reductions for people staying in hotels in the metropolitan city (tourist locations excluded) and in Veneto, but only by direct agreements between the City and other cities or hotels”.

2) WHO WILL PAY. The so-called “mordi-e-fuggi”, the visitors who come for a day trip to Venice and the islands. When they buy a ticket to go to Venice, they will see the “access fee” included. All “carriers” will have to collect the fee for the City: ship companies, trains, buses, ‘granturismo’ ferries and airlines.

“Since we risk some vulnerability because private autos are not ‘carriers’ by law,” explained Mayor Brugnaro, presenting the new rules, “the administration has also approved a resolution introducing the ZTL (Restricted Driving Zone) for cars in the City of Venice”.

3) WHO WON’T PAY. There are exclusions in the law (such as for residents and commuters) – explained Budget Secretary Zuin – and exemptions provided for by the Administration. Overall, not only will residents of the City of Venice not pay the fee, neither will residents of the entire Veneto region (as was requested by regional president Zaia), nor will workers, commuting students, people who have paid the City IMU (Municipal Property Tax), tourists who have payed occupancy tax at lodgings in the City, children under the age of 6, people with disabilities and their companions, people resident in hospitals or who are in Venice for treatment (with companion), participants in sports competitions recognized by Coni, law officers, fire fighters, volunteers, unmarried partners and relatives up to three times removed. “We have also extended the exemptions to those who were born in Venice and arrive in Venice by bus and have already paid the ZTL”.

4) HOW NOT TO PAY AND FINES. One will simply need to demonstrate one’s right to exemption. “Careful”, admonished Secretary Zuin, “not only are there fines up to 450 Euro for those who don’t pay the fee, but falsely demonstrating exemption is a criminal offense”.

5) RESERVATION REQUIRED. Another important piece of news: starting on 1 January 2022, a reservation will be required to visit Venice, but there is still time to set one up: “What we want is a city that is livable for all, residents and guests,” said Mayor Brugnaro, “there won’t be turnstiles or other similar, and there won’t be a heavy handed rollout”.

There are still many points to define, such as the agreements with the carriers that will have to collect the fee: a fundamental question.

Cruise Ships. In the coming days a delegation of cruise ship owners will arrive at Ca’ Farsetti. They will have to find a workable method of collecting the fee from every passenger who disembarks at Venice.

Trains. This is the most complicated part. There are negotiations underway between the State Railway and Ca’ Farsetti to make payment of the fee automatic during the purchase of the ticket. The traveler’s profile, once registered on Trenitalia’s site, will determine the appropriate tariff, or exemption.

Gran Turismo. A consistent part of the revenue from the entrance fee should come from the passengers of the Gran Turismo, the boats that dock at San Marco, unloading day tourists coming from Tronchetto, Chioggia and the coast of Cavallino.

They are working on having the tax collected on land by the employees of AVM, so that travelers will pay the fee “independently”.

The Lawsuits. One of the big risks for the new fee is that the project will immediately be blocked by lawsuits filed by companies and organizations. To prepare for this the City has enlisted the legal counsel of Attorney Francesco Gianni of the law offices of Gianni Origoni Grippo Cappelli & Partners.

The resolution and law will also be written following legal advice.

Source: La Nuova Venezia