26 October 2026 | Governments | Platforms

Finland tourist tax proposal dropped for this government term

Finland will not get a tourist tax in this term

Finland's government will not introduce a tourist tax before the current parliamentary term ends. Finance Minister Riikka Purra (Finns Party) wrote on X on 21 October 2026 that the coalition parties could not reach consensus, so the bill will not be sent to parliament.

The status matters. This was a draft bill that never entered into force, and Finland has no tourist tax at national or municipal level today.

What the draft would have asked for

The Ministry of Finance circulated the proposal for comments in June 2026. Each municipality would have decided for itself whether to introduce the tax, and the revenue would have stayed there. The local council would have set the rate between 2 and 5 percent of the accommodation price. All short-term paid accommodation was in scope, domestic and foreign guests alike, regardless of accommodation type or operator size.

The ministry expected millions of euros a year for tourism-heavy municipalities, with Lapland destinations such as Rovaniemi named as the reason the work started. The law was planned to enter into force in 2027, and municipalities could then have adopted the tax through their 2028 budgets.

Why it fell apart

The opposition sat inside the coalition. National Coalition MP Heikki Autto, who represents Rovaniemi, argued in Helsingin Sanomat that the original plan was a regional trial with a small fixed charge per night, and that the percentage model raises costs.

Rovaniemi Mayor Joonas Hänninen criticised the shelving anyway, pointing to infrastructure and service costs from rising visitor numbers. He expects a decision during the next term. The Finnish Hospitality Association MaRa welcomed the move, and CEO Timo Lappi pointed to the VAT increase on accommodation and restaurants from 10 to 13.5 percent during the same term.

What should travel platforms and software vendors do now

Nothing new for Finland. There is no rate to add to a booking flow, no new registration duty, and no deadline to plan around. Finnish accommodation providers keep their existing guest registration obligation under the Act on Accommodation and Catering Services: passenger card details, foreign guests reported to the police without delay, records kept for one year.

Finland stays on the watchlist. The shelved design shows the shape a future attempt would likely take: an optional municipal levy, a national rate band, and adoption decided inside a municipal budget cycle. A bill that reaches parliament in the next term leaves platforms roughly one budget cycle to configure the rate.

Trippz monitors Finnish municipalities as part of its coverage, so a newly introduced rate arrives in LocationTax as a data update.

Current Finnish rules are in the Finland tourist tax and guest registration guide. For the contrast inside the Nordics, Norway's levy law is already in force while municipalities decide whether to charge.