Welsh Government pushes forward with first step towards a ‘tourism tax’

Welsh Government is pushing forward with the first step towards plans for a controversial ‘tourism tax’
In July’s legislative statement, Wales’ First Minister announced two Bills to support tourism and local communities. One will give local authorities such as Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire County Councils the power to introduce a visitor levy; and the other will regulate visitor accommodation.
A statement from Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford and Economy Secretary Rebecca Evans has revealed that the ‘Visitor Accommodation’ levy and registration bill will be introduced to the Senedd on Monday, November 25.
‘The levy will raise additional funds for local authorities to support the long-term sustainability of our tourism industry,’ the statement explains.
‘Through consultation, continued engagement and the discovery work led by the Welsh Revenue Authority, we have received consistent feedback that we need a form of registration in place to support the levy.
‘We have previously consulted on a statutory licensing scheme for visitor accommodation in Wales as a means of helping to establish a level playing field and to ensure visitors have confidence in the high-standards available throughout Wales.
‘We will be bringing forward the second Bill to move us towards a statutory licensing scheme and enable visitor accommodation providers to demonstrate how their accommodation meets certain conditions.
‘We will continue to discuss and engage with tourism stakeholders, accommodation providers and local authorities as we progress these proposals.’
The proposals have come in for criticism from some sectors, including the Visit Pembrokeshire organisation whose chief executive Emma Thornton previously commented: “It's disheartening to hear that the strong opposition from the trade across Wales has not been listened to.”