Tourist Tax? What Will Be Taxed Next?

It's quite common in other places.

It will at least contribute towards paying for the public toilets, which tourists use and which are kept clean

We pay it often when abroad.

I think it’s a good idea. We have a lot of tourists, and many of them have no respect for the environment, they dump their litter everywhere, so if the tax is to be used to benefit the local area, that’s a win.

I think that in areas with a high tourist footfall, a tax is very sensible.

Tourist come with expense which is usually picked up by the local people. As a tourist, paying for your own mess is a good idea.

Of course hoteliers will moan, but that’s life I am afraid.

I think it's a good idea too.
As others have said we pay this happily elsewhere.

I read that this proposed tourist tax could double the cost of a caravan holiday in the UK. Thousands of families take these sort of holidays and are usually on a tight budget. On top of the cost of the van there is food, drink, entertainment, fuel, parking etc which has to be factored in.

We paid tourist taxes when we went abroad and stayed in hotels and we could see what we got for our money so we didn’t mind too much. Spotlessly clean beaches, clean sea water, an army of men weeding and planting flower beds, sweeping promenades etc but I just can’t see that happening here because there is always some feeble excuse as to why it can’t be done here.

Double😮😮. That would be profiteering!

My understanding is that the tourist tax will be a percentage of the hotel/B&B/Air B&B/camp site charge. Unlikely to be 100% which would double the cost.

It’s being introduced in Wales from April 2027, and it will be £1.30 per night per room, and 75p for a camping pitch. I envisage it will be similar in the areas of England when it is introduced there, but I’d be interested to see your source Primrose53.

Casdon

It’s being introduced in Wales from April 2027, and it will be £1.30 per night per room, and 75p for a camping pitch. I envisage it will be similar in the areas of England when it is introduced there, but I’d be interested to see your source Primrose53.

AI And This Is Money so far but there are others.

Many places we visit have a tourist tax so we are very late to the party.
Plenty of other taxes that could/should be increased, I would raise alchohol tax as a priority, health is damaged by cheap drinking at home.

Tourist tax seems absolutely fine to me. Tourists benefit from our infrastructure which has to be paid for. We happily pay tourist tax in other countries.

Whitewavemark2

I think that in areas with a high tourist footfall, a tax is very sensible.

Tourist come with expense which is usually picked up by the local people. As a tourist, paying for your own mess is a good idea.

Of course hoteliers will moan, but that’s life I am afraid.

I agree and it’s a common in so many other countries, two tier admissions, hotel taxes etc etc

How about a tax on takeaways to pay for clearing up the empty boxes etc dumped everywhere?

We’ve been paying it in Europe for quite a while.
I’d like to see SMART targets for tourist tax in the UK to ensure the money doesn’t disappear into vague council or government projects or unspecified pockets.

Specific : clear and well defined, leaving no room for ambiguity about what you want to achieve.

Measurable with specific criteria or metrics so we can track progress and know when they have succeeded.

Achievable or attainable , realistic and possible to reach.

Relevant or Realistic to the immediate or long term purpose.

Time-bound
Has a clear deadline or specific time frame to create urgency.

Teachers are expected to apply Smart targets and demonstrate their effectiveness and evidence their success.
Seems reasonable to apply that to this new tax.

I think it's a good idea. IMO, too much tax income comes from people working and paying PAYE. Spreading the burden seems much fairer, particularly when it's on optional things such as holidays. If that means that people on low incomes can be taxed less, so much the better.

I have also read that in Wales, the proposed rate is £1.30 per person, per night for most holiday accommodation (including caravans), though campsites with tents get a lower £0.75 rate.

I think this is a big panic from people not wanting to contribute and from holiday parks looking after themselves.

(This above was to concur with earlier posters - I did read the thread!)

I don’t mind paying a little bit, but is that per person, or family?

Friend stayed at the Ballagio in Vegas, she was charged a few hundred dollars for her stay. She was furious with the travel agents who didn’t tell her, so hadn’t factored the extra into her holiday.
Asked why she had to pay extra, they said well the pool, spa, etc.
well I always thought that’s what you are paying the big money for anyway when you go on holiday to use the pool.

Aveline

Tourist tax seems absolutely fine to me. Tourists benefit from our infrastructure which has to be paid for. We happily pay tourist tax in other countries.

Happily?

I agree with others who say this tax is a good idea, a good way of raising revenue to deal with the wear and tear to services etc., from tourism in the UK.
We have paid a similar tax when holidaying abroad and thought nothing if it.
In London an enormous number of tourists both foreign and domestic descend all year round and the extra money will help clean up the detritus they leave behind and perhaps go towards hiring more employees who do this cleaning.
It has been said that this will hit domestic holiday makers whose budgets are stretched but people can cut their cloth according to their pocket and make sure
they holiday somewhere affordable taking this tax into consideration.

In many places the Tourist Tax is payable at the destination separately, this is very inconvenient if it needs paying in cash in the local currency.

It should be added to the original booking cost

Scotland passed the "Visitor Levy" legislation in 2024.

Edinburgh is the first council to charge it, from July 2026.

Further nformation here
About the Edinburgh Visitor Levy – The City of Edinburgh Council share.google/1mKdBmgVMNfYjBYuf

Edinburgh levy is 5% daily up to the first 5 days.

There are many exemptions.

Other councils are following suit but must consult with various parties, businesses, residents etc.

I think each council can set it's own exemptions, for instance it may seem unfair to charge workers who have to use holiday accommodation, and people having to attend medical appointments (often from the islands). Whilst they are visitors, they don't actually have a choice. Edinburgh has exempted those at risk from DV, those on certain benefits etc.

The administration of refunds for exemptions seems convoluted, visitors have to pay then apply for a refund. If the levy isn't high enough it will cost more to administer than the gain.