It’s quite a Berlin style story – in many ways: Berlin tourists are one part of that story, the financial situation of the city and the financial support for cultural institution (“the free art scene”) is the other detail of it, Berlins mayor Klaus Wowereit plays a major role – and (very typical for Berlin) lots of money that just isn’t there. Yet.
Already long time ago first media reports popped up, that in the *near future* a bed tax would be estabished to wash extra money to Berlins empty pockets. An ongoing debate broke loose, how the new tax would come to life – who would be in charge to actually make tourists pay it, how much visitors would have to pay – and what the money would be used for.
As far as I know the so called CityTax is still about to be established soooon (originally planned for January 2013) and currently it is planned to charge an extra 5% on every ‘bed’. And recently Klaus Wowereit also found an answer for what the wells of extra money should be used and promissed the “free art scene” financial support. Well. We’ll see what that means. And of course we hope, it means something good :)
see also:
http://www.in-berlin-brandenburg.com/Blog/3383/city-tax/ (german)