Kyoto introduces lodging tax on tourists

Japan's ancient city of Kyoto, a popular tourist destination, began levying taxes Monday on visitors staying at hotels, traditional inns and private lodgings to ease problems such as congestion and improve tourism services.Guests will be taxed between 200 yen ($1.76) and 1,000 yen per night depending on the accommodation charge. The city expects to raise 4.56 billion yen annually through the tax and use the revenue for tourism promotion measures.Kyoto is the third municipality to impose lodging taxes after Tokyo and Osaka prefectures, which target travelers staying in accommodation that cha…READ FULL ARTICLE