Tourist tax might be a Kiwi tip for the SNP..
IN ASSESSING Scotland’s future economic outlook, the SNP’s Growth Commission studied a number of other small successful countries to see what we could learn from them.
One of those was New Zealand, a country in part built by those Scots who emigrated in the early part of the 20th century. There’s much to admire about New Zealand’s economy and politics.
Not least their prime minister Jacinda Ardern, who just shattered the glass ceiling by having her first baby in office, sharing parental leave with her husband Clarke.
I had the great pleasure of meeting her last August during the country’s general election campaign. We chewed the fat over sandwiches in a trendy Auckland cafe.
She was very focused on creating new high-skilled jobs and growing New Zealand’s economy – but not just for any end.
That growth was to be shared fairly and equally – profits used to lift people from poverty. Even their taxes are creative.
The world’s love of sauvignon blanc puts real pressure on the environment, so they came up with a gentle tax on the wine industry, the revenues of which would be used to protect the water supply. Turning wine into water. Now they’re going to introduce a tourist tax to protect the assets of their country which is so appealing to the rest of the world.
A tourist tax to protect the beauty of Dunedin would work equally well for the Edinburgh it was named after.
I just hope the SNP are listening.