Survey finds public supports 5 per cent capital tourist tax
Edinburgh's tourist tax should be set at about 5 per cent with the money raised being used for infrastructure, city services, festivals, culture and heritage, according to the findings of a survey of public views.
Legislation allowing councils to impose a visitor levy on overnight accommodation is still going through the Scottish Parliament. But Edinburgh council, which has advocated such a levy for years, is eager to be ready to bring in the tax as soon as it gets the go-ahead. And work is already under way between the council and the tourism sector on how it will operate.
Council leader Cammy Day said a levy of between 3 and 5 per cent could bring in and extra £20 million to £30 million for Edinburgh. "It's just the norm across Europe," he said. "It's time for it to come to Edinburgh."
Edinburgh is expected to become the first place in theuk to introduce a tourist tax. Clr Day said :" edinburgh is ready to go with this and I think we will bean exemplar to the country ." The council conducted a survey of residents, visitors and other members of the public, which attracted nearly 4,000 responses and found 85 per cent overall support for a visitor levy.
Among visitors, support was much lower at 53 per cent. But Cllr Day said he did not believe the tax would put people off coming to Edinburgh when so many other cities in Europe and around the world had a similar levy. "I don't have any worries that the four millionplus people who already come to Edinburgh will be deterred by paying a few pounds more."
And he said despite initial opposition, the tourism sector had come round to the idea. "They have moved from being against it to accepting it's comingand now they want to influence how the money is spent across the city to improve the offer to people who visit Edinburgh and the people who live here."
The survey found residents backed a percentage tax rather than a flat rate levy by 53 per cent to 35 per cent, while visitors preferred a flat rate by 42 per cent to 35 per cent. When asked how much it should be, the most popular rate was 5 per cent, chosen by 35 per cent of respondents. The next most popular was 3 per cent, backed by 15 per cent.
Cllr days aida percentage was fairer. "It means that whether you stay at the Balmoral or a B&B in Leith, you'll pay an appropriate sum for that." He has previously talked of a 4 per cent levy and welcomed the survey' sf in ding that most peoplebacked the charge being set at around that level.
"If it's too low, the impact of the resources we would raise would be too low. Nor do we want to go too high and make it unsustainable. The sector, having accepted it's coming, would rather have it bringing in a decent income to do something – if it's 1 per cent, it's nothing; if it's 5 per cent that's a good bit of money and I'm sure they're already thinking about where they' d like to see it spent ."
Some 63 per cent of all respondents agreed the levy should apply all year round rather than justin the peak season. And 45 percent thought there should be no exemptions. But one in 10 residents said people working in the festival sand artists should be exempt from the charge. On how the money should be spent, almost all respondents, ranked the city infrastructure in their top three priorities, followed closely by city services.