Edinburgh needs visitors to return, but when they come it's time for a tourist tax – Helen Martin

According to the Association of Scotland’s Self Caterers, the Scottish government should “clearly and unequivocally” rule out a tourist tax.
Tourists wearing face masks visit Edinburgh Castle in January last year (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)Tourists wearing face masks visit Edinburgh Castle in January last year (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Tourists wearing face masks visit Edinburgh Castle in January last year (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Well, everyone has a different attitude to that, when it happens and who pays.

Obviously, beginning in September, the government suspended the plans for tourist tax throughout Covid-19.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Few or no tourists were likely to be coming. Tourism and hospitality had virtually no income. And even when tourists come back gradually, it will be some time before there seems any logic to charge them an extra tax.

But in normal times, several foreign city destinations will have a tourist tax. And why should Scotland (or Edinburgh) give up that income when others pull it in?

The other problem with a tourist tax (£2 a night) is where it goes to. Here, the council plan was for it to help pay for the costs of mass tourism in the Capital.

Read More
Tourist tax should be dropped and Airbnb plans changed, politicians told

Before Covid-19 what many of us felt was that a tourist tax should actually support or increase the income of council tax so residents (who didn’t work in the industry) got at least some benefit from mass tourism which, otherwise, many would continue to loathe.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Right now, everyone should support the return of tourists. Many don’t want the same millions as in 2019 and horrendous over-crowding of the city, but there’s a chance that numbers would be sensibly reduced anyway.

And eventually, when it builds up to a reasonable maximum, the tax has to return. Then we can still argue with the council where the money (once estimated at least £11 million) should be spent.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.