Capital’s tourist tax may only apply during its ‘peak season’ for visitors
A controversial tourist tax in Edinburgh may only be imposed for half the year under new proposals to try to win round industry leaders.
City council officials have suggested a proposed transient visitor levy (TVL) may be targeted at visitors during the city’s “peak season” between April and September.
However, the local authority has admitted it would be simpler to operate a scheme that ran all year round.
It has suggested imposing a tourist tax of either £2 per room or have an extra 2 per cent added to bills. The levy would be charged for a maximum of seven nights.
Campers, backpackers and caravanners may have to pay the tourist tax, as well as people staying in self-serviced apartments, student accommodation and guest houses.
Money raised from the tourist tax could also be used to help pay for street cleaning, bin collections, policing, public transport and the maintenance of parks and gardens.
The proposals have been put forward after a recent opinion poll found just 8 per cent of people living in the city wanted income from the levy ploughed into festivals or events.
Despite this, the consultation document issued by the council said key priorities included ensuring a sustainable future for “Edinburgh’s status as one of the world’s great cities in terms of culture and heritage”, securing more funding to promote the city as a yearround tourism destination and ring-fencing funding for new tourism, culture, heritage and sporting infrastructure.
The council has launched a major consultation exercise on its proposals weeks after the Scottish Government announced it would be staging a “national conversation” to gauge support for local authorities to win tourist tax powers.
Council leader Adam Mcvey said: “We’ve always acknowledged the need for legislation in taking this forward, but we’ve also maintained the need to develop our own plans to make sure it’s not just any TVL, but the right TVL for Edinburgh, taking account of our local circumstances.”