...but she even wants to tax you for travelling round Scotland!
THOUSANDS of Scots could soon be hit with a ‘ruinous’ new tax – just for travelling around the country.
A surcharge on overnight stays is set to hike prices for holidaymakers enjoying staycations and weekend breaks, plus those heading to gigs, sporting events, business meetings and conferences.
Nicola Sturgeon this month unveiled plans to allow councils to impose a ‘visitor levy’.
City of Edinburgh Council claims following the lead of popular holiday destinations abroad in charging tourists an extra overnight tax would help provide services to benefit visitors, such as transport and public toilets. But last night indusfears try figures warned the visitor levy will be ‘ruinous’ for trade.
Leon Thompson, executive director of UK Hospitality Scotland, the tax would put tourists off visiting the country.
He said: ‘At this point hospitality is in a very fragile state and our customers and visitors are already experiencing an unprecedented cost of living crisis. So even a conversation on an increase in cost to visitors staying in destinations in Scotland is extremely unwelcome.’
David Weston, head of the Scottish Bed and Breakfast Association, warned: ‘It will damage Scottish tourism and in particular distort tourism within the UK by favouring, say, English cities without a tourist tax over Scottish cities with a tourist tax.’
The Scottish Mail on Sunday asked all 32 local councils for their views on a visitor levy. Nine, including West Lothian, West Dunbartonshire, Fife and the Scottish Borders, said they have no interest in such a move, while Moray, East Lothian and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar said they were prepared to review it.
The Scottish Government said it ‘shares an ambitious vision with the tourism industry that supports and delivers a sustainable future so Scotland becomes a world leader in tourism by 2030’.
It added: ‘Giving local councils the discretionary power to introduce a levy is one tool that can provide additional resources to meet that vision.’