The Budget

sundowngirl

Someone on Facebook summed up the budget beautifully
If you are on benefits, you will get more benefits and if you pay tax, you will pay more tax

Pensions are a benefit!
Yipee! But will I pay tax?

A flat rate of £2 per night wouldn’t deter tourists- I’ve been to loads of places where this is charged and tbh, you never notice it. Why not? If it goes to improve the areas where tourists go.

Tourist tax isn’t compulsory. She has simply in effect given LAs permission to raise this tax - if they wish.

£80 million on more breakfast clubs in schools, good, but such a shame they’re needed.

Jaxjacky

£80 million on more breakfast clubs in schools, good, but such a shame they’re needed.

Is this just England? Has she given extra to devolved countries specifically aimed at helping children?

GrannyGravy13

I am definitely not impressed with the so called Tourist Tax

This will make people think twice about an overnight stay or a weekend away in the U.K.

Another nail in the coffin of the hospitality sector.

Thought I would get ai to help us on this one (knowing little about it).

Many countries (and even individual cities/regions) have some form of “tourist tax.” These are also called visitor taxes, occupancy taxes, bed taxes, city taxes, or tourism levies. They are typically small fees added to hotel stays, short-term rentals, or sometimes collected at airports.

🌍 Where tourist taxes are common
Tourist taxes exist in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and Oceania. Examples include:

Europe has the widest adoption:
Italy – Rome, Venice, Florence, and most cities charge a nightly “tassa di soggiorno.”
France – A “taxe de séjour” is added to hotel bills in places like Paris and Nice.
Spain – Catalonia (Barcelona) and the Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Ibiza).
Greece, Portugal, Belgium, Croatia, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands (Amsterdam is particularly well-known).
United Kingdom – Manchester and Edinburgh recently introduced tourist taxes.

Asia
Japan – A small departure tax (“sayonara tax”) added to air tickets.
Malaysia – A national flat-rate tourism tax on accommodation.
Indonesia – Bali implemented a tourist levy in 2024.
Some cities in Thailand are considering one.

North America
United States – Many cities have a hotel or occupancy tax (e.g., New York City, San Francisco).
Canada – Major cities like Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal charge a tourism or hotel tax.
Caribbean – Many islands charge environmental or departure fees (Bahamas, Jamaica, Barbados, etc.).

Oceania
New Zealand – An International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL).
Fiji – Has environment and hotel taxes.
Africa

Tourist taxes exist in Morocco, Tunisia, South Africa (in some municipalities), and various island nations like Seychelles and Mauritius.

💡 Why they exist
Countries use tourist taxes to:

Fund tourism infrastructure
Support environmental protection
Reduce strain on local services used by visitors
Manage overtourism in popular destinations

🧾 How they’re charged. Most common methods:

Per night per person added to accommodation
Percentage of the room rate
Flat airport departure fee
Entry/visa fee
Environmental levy

Allira, it's clear the situation is just very different, this page may help you? Note the free breakfasts for all children already P 1 to P5.

www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=budget+breakfast+clubs+for+Scotland&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

I’m happy to know that the baby goats will be well looked after.
Priority given to kids!

You've lost me with this profound remark.

DaisyAnneReturns I am aware of tourist tax when travelling abroad.

Not a fan of it when I want to visit friends or family, necessitating a stay in a U.K. hotel.

LauraNorderr

I’m happy to know that the baby goats will be well looked after.
Priority given to kids!

I know, it is one of my idiosyncrasies, I had children not kids 👍

We pay tourist tax in Spain Portugal Italy , doesn’t stop us from travelling! Doubt it will make any impact on visitors to the UK plus will benefit local economies! I would have liked an exit tax as well !

Tourist tax has been active everywhere we’ve been in France for several years.
I don’t object to it here, as long as MPs don't claim it back as an expense when they’re on not here Keir visits.

In Greece you pay a nightly Climate Crisis Resilience Fee, which amounts to the same thing. It’s already been announced for Wales, from April 2027. I don’t think it will have any detrimental impact on UK tourism - I just hope it’s used to improve tourist facilities.

Stranded your comment way back about scruffy people etc. receiving more child benefit is disgusting and shows what is wrong with is country. Have you for one minute thought that there might be a dad who is a single parent to two children who gets together with a single mother of two children. They end up being classed as a family with more than two children and so lose one lot entitlement to child benefit. My son was such a case, working hard and far from scruffy. His partner was also working hard and far from scruffy.

As I posted up thread there is no limit on Child Benefit (weekly Family Allowance regardless if you are working or not)

The two child benefit cap is the amount of children you claim for when in receipt of Universal Credit.

Child Benefit is taxed when one partner earns £60,000 and above.the higher the salary the more Child Benefit is clawed back

GrannyGravy13

DaisyAnneReturns I am aware of tourist tax when travelling abroad.

Not a fan of it when I want to visit friends or family, necessitating a stay in a U.K. hotel.

But wouldn't it affect families in other countries when they visit family and friends GrannyGravy13? Those who have had it for sometime have obviously got used to it. I don't doubt most will here - certainly younger people.

I do understand some will not like it, but with the many who can't afford a great deal of travel in the UK and younger people I don't think it will be a stand out part of the budget.

DaisyAnneReturns I would rather they give the hospitality industry a tax holiday of some kind.

They haven’t recovered from Lockdowns, along with the NI and minimum wage increases, are closing down regularly.

So only scruffy people benefit from the child benefit I am told on Gransnet. Is this everyones opinion

It’s not rocket science. Research shows that the two child limit on Universal Credit is a major driver of child poverty.
In the year to April 2024, 4.5 million children in the UK, 31% of all children, were living in poverty after housing costs. This represents a record high, with 100,000 more children in poverty than the previous year. Approximately 3.1 million children are in "deep poverty" (with a household income below 50% of the median).
Casdon

Surely the main cause of child poverty is parents on universal credit with two children then deciding to have a third when they know there will only be Child Benefit of £17 coming in to support it?

Barmeyoldbat

So only scruffy people benefit from the child benefit I am told on Gransnet. Is this everyones opinion

I assume you mean Universal Credit Child Benefit not general Child Benefit

Some of the scruffiest people I know are millionaires 🤷‍♀️

Anyone can have a scruffy day.

I don’t see how the lifting of the cap takes children out of poverty. Surely there is no guarantee that the extra funds in the household will be spent on the children.
I would rather see the extra money put in to schemes that feed or clothe children directly.
Or perhaps better spent on parenting classes during school years. Nutrition, cookery, needlework. The importance of nurturing. Anger management. Sex education and birth control.
All sorts of ways of improving life for our children.

The research shows it is the best way, and has been welcomed by all the charities working with children living in poverty.

www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/no-half-measures/

Generally a good budget and optimistic for business, generally the tax rises were well balanced but I did think Mansion Tax was too timid £2500 is small change if your house is over £2m.
Shame about releasing the detail 2 hours early

Let’s see what is in the small print.

David49

Generally a good budget and optimistic for business, generally the tax rises were well balanced but I did think Mansion Tax was too timid £2500 is small change if your house is over £2m.
Shame about releasing the detail 2 hours early

Let’s see what is in the small print.

That tax is in addition to the Council tax.