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Bremen increases bed tax: tourism tax increases to 5.5 percent!
Bremen is planning to increase the accommodation tax to 5.5% from 2026 in order to strengthen finances and promote tourism.
Bremen increases bed tax: tourism tax increases to 5.5 percent!
In Bremen, overnight guests in hotels, holiday apartments or guesthouses currently have to pay an accommodation tax. This tax, also known as city tax, is to be increased by half a percentage point to 5.5 percent of the overnight stay fee from January 1, 2026. The amendment to the law was passed by the state government on May 20, 2025 and forwarded to the Bremen citizens to make the changes official. The pressure to increase comes from the impending budget emergency, reported by Finance Senator Björn Fecker (Greens), which is forcing the country to take measures to increase revenue. [Süddeutsche] reports that the increase in the bed tax should generate additional annual income of around one million euros.
The city of Bremen has committed itself to the Stability Council with a restructuring agreement. This agreement requires the city not only to contain costs, but also to generate additional revenue to stabilize the country's financial situation. This makes the desired increase in the city tax all the more important to strengthen Bremen's financial foundation. It is also planned to use 40 percent of the additional income from 2026 to promote tourism, provided that the additional expenditure due to increasing numbers of overnight stays exceeds the forecast income.
Tax increase details
The increase in the city tax affects all overnight stays offered in accommodation establishments such as hotels, inns, guesthouses and holiday homes. Bookings via internet platforms such as Airbnb, Wimdu or Holidu are also affected by taxation. Although the current income from the city tax is not earmarked, it supports the financing of the tourism offering in Bremen and Bremerhaven and helps the city state to respond to the needs of the growing tourism industry.
The state government considers the decision to increase the accommodation tax to be necessary in order to overcome the financial challenges facing Bremen. This measure is intended not only to improve the general budget situation, but also to strengthen the tourism infrastructure. [Bremen Senate] emphasizes that the increase must be decided by the citizens so that the city has the urgently needed funds available.