TL;DR : The exclusive ‘reveal’ is that Scottish people also have overnight stays across Scotland, so the tourist tax would also apply to them. The Scottish Bed & Breakfast Association is rallying against this calling it a ‘stealth tax’.
>They are appealing to local authorities to boycott the tax to visitors and Scots “as it will of course discourage travel and tourism in Scotland and will lose our crucial tourism industry’s competitiveness against Europe and even England.”
I really do not understand the opposition. It is a thing in so many countries across the globe, and it would be hugely beneficial to cash-strapped councils. Think of the burden Edinburgh or the Highland Council’s infrastructure goes through with the huge number of tourists they get each year. A small levy on those stays could fund vital infrastructure improvements that would benefit locals and tourists.
Last year, Scotland had a record number of tourists, with many coming from North America, I really doubt a small percentage levy would hammer the tourism industry as this article seems to suggest.
I’ve paid a tourist tax everywhere I’ve been lately, except the UK. Not seeing the issue.
>”as it will of course discourage travel and tourism in Scotland and will lose our crucial tourism industry’s competitiveness against Europe and even England.”
Good point. I was going to climb the Ben Nevis in Lochaber, but since I’d have to pay an extra 5% to stay at a BnB I think I’ll climb the Ben Nevis in Dorset instead.
>A tourist tax is set to ~~take~~ raise tens of millions out of the pockets of the one in four Scots who decide to holiday at home, leading to calls for local authorities to boycott it.
Doesn’t sound that bad really.
Our media is really good at making perfectly normal things sound scary and controversial, aren’t we the only place without this?
We pay tourist taxes abroad. No issues here.
Why not double it then? This is a tax for the sake of it. How will it be administered and how much will that cost? Where will it be spent e.g. tourism related projects or siphoned to where cuts have been made? What else can we tax to combat inefficiency? What about charging extra tax on expensive meals? Can we charge extra tax on hire cars?
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TL;DR : The exclusive ‘reveal’ is that Scottish people also have overnight stays across Scotland, so the tourist tax would also apply to them. The Scottish Bed & Breakfast Association is rallying against this calling it a ‘stealth tax’.
>They are appealing to local authorities to boycott the tax to visitors and Scots “as it will of course discourage travel and tourism in Scotland and will lose our crucial tourism industry’s competitiveness against Europe and even England.”
I really do not understand the opposition. It is a thing in so many countries across the globe, and it would be hugely beneficial to cash-strapped councils. Think of the burden Edinburgh or the Highland Council’s infrastructure goes through with the huge number of tourists they get each year. A small levy on those stays could fund vital infrastructure improvements that would benefit locals and tourists.
Last year, Scotland had a record number of tourists, with many coming from North America, I really doubt a small percentage levy would hammer the tourism industry as this article seems to suggest.
I’ve paid a tourist tax everywhere I’ve been lately, except the UK. Not seeing the issue.
>”as it will of course discourage travel and tourism in Scotland and will lose our crucial tourism industry’s competitiveness against Europe and even England.”
Good point. I was going to climb the Ben Nevis in Lochaber, but since I’d have to pay an extra 5% to stay at a BnB I think I’ll climb the Ben Nevis in Dorset instead.
>A tourist tax is set to ~~take~~ raise tens of millions out of the pockets of the one in four Scots who decide to holiday at home, leading to calls for local authorities to boycott it.
Doesn’t sound that bad really.
Our media is really good at making perfectly normal things sound scary and controversial, aren’t we the only place without this?
We pay tourist taxes abroad. No issues here.
Why not double it then? This is a tax for the sake of it. How will it be administered and how much will that cost? Where will it be spent e.g. tourism related projects or siphoned to where cuts have been made? What else can we tax to combat inefficiency? What about charging extra tax on expensive meals? Can we charge extra tax on hire cars?