The Socialist Group in the Cabildo de Tenerife submitted a request for an extraordinary plenary on Tuesday, urging the island president, Rosa Dávila (Canarian Coalition), to publicly explain “why she has consistently voted against the tourist ecotasa” during previous proposals by the PSOE, “and, now, to support it ahead of the upcoming demonstration on 18M.”
In a statement, the PSOE justifies this request following the announcement made by the Canarian Coalition on Tuesday, just “a few days before the citizen protests on 18M against tourist overcrowding,” now proposing a tourist rate for Tenerife—a measure that has previously been rejected by CC in all institutions.
For the PSOE of Tenerife, this “shift” from the island president is merely “an attempt to conceal her ongoing dismissal and to appropriate the socialist narrative amid increasing social pressure.”
“Rosa Dávila and the Canarian Coalition have opposed this socialist initiative in every institution where it has been proposed; for instance, on June 7, 2024, during an extraordinary plenary session called by the Socialist Group for its implementation, where Dávila claimed it was unfeasible and discriminatory,” he recalled.
The president of the Socialist Group, Pedro Martín, stated on Wednesday that “justifying” this change of stance is challenging without asserting that it is “part of a strategy for show.” Consequently, the socialist group now demands “clarity” and a “genuine proposal” from CC, moving beyond “party politicking.”
The Socialist Proposal
“We proposed charging tourists visiting us. What she has stated thus far is something entirely different. She mentioned imposing a fee for entry to the National Park, and as we can see, this is yet another of her misleading announcements she intended to label as Eco-Ecotasa,” remarked the president of the Socialist Group in the Cabildo, Pedro Martín.
The PSOE of Tenerife has reiterated that the ecotasa is a “fair, beneficial, and coherent proposal, with the potential to generate revenue for public services and promote environmental sustainability.”
However, they conclude, “one cannot say one thing in the Cabildo and the following day declare the opposite in a party conference.”
