A move to block the collection of a new bed tax has already cost the island €140,000 in its first week, Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said yesterday.

In a statement, Dr Zammit Lewis said the warrant of prohibitory injunction filed last month by the Malta Chamber of Commerce had only served to rob the country of a significant amount of money which was ultimately aimed at benefiting the tourism sector.

The new eco-contribution, a 50c nightly levy that tourists are meant to pay when visiting the island, was meant to come into force last Wednesday.

It was temporarily blocked, however, by a prohibitory injunction filed in court by the chamber a few hours before its collection was due to start. The injunction was upheld and the issue will now be decided in court.

Several hoteliers, who asked not to be named, told this newspaper on Tuesday that they were not sure what to do, as they had not been instructed not to go ahead with collecting the tax but had read media reports that it had been blocked.

The warrant had only served to rob the country of a significant amount of money

“The result has been total confusion. We have some providers collecting this, others not. We have people who are unsure how to go about it and tourists who are unhappy with the way this is being handled,” said Genevieve Abela, the chief executive of the Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations.

She said the government had sent out official notices to accommodation providers a few days before the tax was meant to come into force, instructing them to begin collection on June 1. No correspondence was sent out, however, informing providers not to go ahead with the collection until the issue was resolved in court.

Meanwhile, Dr Zammit Lewis said the government had been “geared up and administratively ready” to implement the contribution and remained determined to introduce it.

The contribution is capped at €5 per tourist and is aimed at raising some €6 million annually. Dr Zammit Lewis said the money raised would go towards maintenance of touristic hotspots.