Somerset Conservatives have renewed their call for a holiday tax to be ruled out in Somerset following reports that authorities will be given the power to impose an overnight visitor levy.
The proposed levy would add a percentage charge to stays in hotels, bed and breakfasts, holiday lets and other visitor accommodation. The final decision on whether to introduce it would rest with mayors and local leaders.
The announcement has particular significance for Somerset because the Liberal Democrat administration is working with Dorset, Wiltshire and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole councils to establish a Wessex Mayoral Strategic Authority.
Somerset Conservatives have campaigned against a holiday tax since the proposal was first raised. The group launched a public petition and brought a motion to Somerset Council seeking a clear commitment that the authority would not support, pursue or apply for the introduction of such a levy.
However, the Liberal Democrat administration would not support that clear commitment and instead proposed an amendment which would have removed the pledge to rule out the tax. The Conservative motion was subsequently withdrawn, leaving the door open to its introduction through a future mayoral authority.
Somerset Conservatives remain the only political group on Somerset Council to have called for an unequivocal commitment that the authority will not support or pursue a holiday tax.
Somerset’s visitor economy is worth around £1.3 billion and supports approximately 24,000 full-time equivalent jobs. The Conservatives warn that increasing the cost of domestic holidays would discourage visitors, reduce the amount they spend in local communities and place further pressure on accommodation providers and other tourism businesses.
Councillor Diogo Rodrigues, Leader of the Conservative Group on Somerset Council, said:
“The Government should abandon this policy, but the Liberal Democrats running Somerset Council must also unequivocally rule out working towards or supporting any holiday tax in Somerset as part of a future Wessex Mayoral Authority.
Hard-working families should not be taxed for enjoying a holiday in their own county or their own country. From Minehead and Burnham-on-Sea to Frome and Castle Cary, visitor spending supports accommodation providers, attractions, shops, pubs and restaurants.
Tourism is worth £1.3 billion to Somerset and supports thousands of local jobs. Adding another charge to family holidays risks making Somerset less competitive, leaving visitors with less money to spend in our towns and attractions, and hurting the small businesses that depend upon them."
Somerset Conservatives will continue pressing for an unequivocal commitment that Somerset Council and any future mayoral authority involving Somerset will not introduce a Holiday Tax.
