‘Caravan council tax plan is anti-tourism’
‘OWNERS ALREADY PAY THOUSANDS’... MS SLAMS PLAN FOR NEW LEVY
APROPOSAL to impose council tax on caravan and lodge owners in Wales has been slammed as “anti-tourism” by a Senedd member.
Independent Gwynedd councillor John Brynmor Hughes believes the thousands of static caravans, lodges and chalets in Wales should be slapped with council tax bills in the same way homes are.
He believes Wales is losing out on a windfall by not charging owners more for using services in the country like roads, waste services and public toilets.
But Aberconwy MS Janet Finch-Saunders has condemned the increasing rise of “anti-tourism rhetoric” and said
caravan owners were already paying thousands of pounds in fees to keep statics at sites in North Wales.
She said this then helped towards the money the parks paid in rates and other tax bills.
She said: “The owners of these caravans usually pay our local holiday parks an annual fee of several thousand pounds, including contributing to the overall business tax bill.
“They are an essential asset that ensures the parks’ longevity and invest in our region.
“Beyond spending their hardearned money in local hospitality and retail establishments, these individuals are also a crucial link of support for our service sector, paying local employers for everything from electricity checks to gas delivery.
“I will continue to confront the misguided and rising antitourism rhetoric that is being fed by the coalition partners in Cardiff Bay.
“Only last month were we rightfully celebrating the hard work and benefits of such businesses at the Go North Wales Awards.
“We cannot let this be undermined by short-sighted interventions in the market.”
The Non-Domestic Rating (Caravan Sites) Regulations
1990 see that holiday parks which are deemed to fall within the legal definition of a “caravan site”, meaning they include some property which is not domestic and have an area of 400 square yards or more, are generally considered to be one taxable unit on the non-domestic rating list.
But Cllr Hughes said: “A caravan, even a tourer these days, is like a bungalow.
“They have bedrooms in them and are huge, but they’re barely paying any tax.
“We have caravan parks open all year round, they’re not paying at all.
“We are losing taxes here yet they use our roads, dispose of their rubbish, they use the public toilets and everything a house would use.
“I think that we’re losing there.”