Readers' letters: Tourist tax plan must be adopted by new Edinburgh Council

I very much hope that our new council administration will take forward the SNP’s manifesto plan to introduce a tourist tax in Edinburgh as a matter of urgency.

At a time when public services have been under such strain and faced with the grim prospect of yet more austerity to come, surely now is the time to add to the funds available to our local authorities in a way that does not add to the burdens already being carried by taxpayers in Scotland.

Visitors spend millions of pounds during their time in Edinburgh but much of this is collected as VAT and is paid direct to the Exchequer in London?

A levy placed on visitors could bolster the city’s coffers

While our visitors are of course very welcome, how much direct financial benefit is there for the council? Surely it would make sense to apply a tourist tax which would be a direct contribution to the city’s finances? The applicationof a tourist tax is a widespread practice in other countries so why not here in Scotland?

My wife and I have been fortunate enough to have visited several overseas countries, including Japan to visit our family in Tokyo. Wherever we have travelled it has been standard practice for the hotel bill to have a tax added for each night of our stay. The sum added is no more than the price of a cup of coffee. With over 12 million visitor nights per year in Edinburgh in pre-pandemic times, such a modest charge would raise a considerable sum for the City – as much as £24m if the charge were £2; £36m if were to be £3.

It has been claimed that such a tax would discourage visitors from coming to Edinburgh. I cannot accept this as an argument. The addition of such a tax on our overseas hotel bills has never been seen by us as a deterrent. Visitors will continue to flock to Edinburgh in very large numbers. Can we seriously afford to ignore such an obvious source of revenue in these challenging times?

Eric Melvin, Edinburgh

Census shambles

The original deadline for completing the Scottish census was 1 May but due to a poor response this was extended to 31 May and then 12 June.

This delay will add £10 million to the cost. As at 31 May 326,368 households, 12.5 per cent, had not completed the census meaning that they are liable to prosecution and a £1,000 fine. Can we therefore expect fines to be levied on at least 100,000 people or will this SNP government yet again fudge their responsibilities in pursuit of Independence votes?

Clark Cross, Linlithgow

Holiday pay

With the news that the Educational Institute of Scotland is seeking a ten per cent pay increase perhaps a small reduction in the c.13 weeks of holiday allowance that teachers receive could be agreed in part exchange for the proposed rise?

This would be a fair swap and doesn't diminish their important role. It merely highlights that base salary is only one part of the overall package that teachers currently receive, including the very generous holidays.

J Lewis, Edinburgh

Strip clubs ban

I hope the first decision the new Edinburgh council will make is to reverse the banning of strip clubs in Edinburgh. It doesn't make any sense to close these clubs down. The women who work there do so of their own free will and they also feel they are operating in a safe environment.

If the clubs close they will go underground as there will always be a demand for this service. This would be less safe for the workers as no regulations would be in place. There are clubs like this in every city – just let them be.

Craig Naysmith, Edinburgh

Write to the Edinburgh Evening News

We welcome your thoughts. Write to [email protected] including name, address and phone number – we won't print full details. Keep letters under 300 words, with no attachments. If referring to an article, include date, page number and heading.

Subscribe

Subscribe at www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/subscriptions