Paris City Tax

are you looking at a hotel or renting an apartment?

Preferably an apartment but would consider a hotel. We are looking at a 2 week stay.

I can't think of any place I have stayed anywhere in the world that doesn't have a "tourist" or "bed" tax on hotels, etc. Booking.com and many sites show that as a separate item for full disclosure, but in the past it was just stated in the total cost of lodgings, and you didn't know it was there, or it was a surprise add-on when you paid your bill. This is nothing new, and cities, etc. charge them, usually saying it is for infrastructure expenses used by tourists who don't pay local taxes because they are not residents. The percentages are computed locally, based on what the local voters vote on, or based on what the local govt. decrees. That depends on local laws.
Nothing new here, no scam, just business as has it has always been.

Actually compared to some cities in the US 16.25% is cheap. I

Paris tax on hotels is 10% VAT at 11.38 Euro/pp (which is higher because of the increase during the Olympics if memory serves)

I was quoted "Paris City tax 2025 ( 15,60 euros/day/adult)." by Guest Apartment Services Paris. The hotel that we actually reserved is 5.50 euros/day/adult. There is a price range determined by a percentage. Generally, we've had to pay with cash either at the beginning of our stay at an apartment or at the end, at an hotel. Some think that they're being scammed, but city tax is a reality. It has always been clearly stated on the bill before we've booked.

The tax that I know of that is not included in the room rate is the tourist tax (taxe de séjour) which ranges from €.65 per person per night to €15.60 per person per night, depending on the type of hotel with the lowest rate applied to campsites and the highest rate applied to the "palace" hotels. Here is a link to the breakdown of that tax: https://taxedesejour.paris.fr/includes/download/ok6fIR-Les-tarifs-en-vigueur-a-partir-du-1er-janvier-2025.pdf I have never seen a Paris hotel that did not include the VAT in the advertised room rate.

Here is an English explanation and list of Paris tourist tax for accommodations from the Paris tourism office.

https://parisjetaime.com/eng/article/tourist-tax-a616

As Judy says, everywhere in the world taxes tourists because they are going to leave and don't vote. In many US cities you can see the list of applicable taxes on the back of your door, it's quite something.