THE news that wealthy hotelier Rocco Forte opposes the tourist tax is hardly surprising. He is a member of the super-rich millionaire/billionaire class who find it hard to fathom what the lives of ordinary people are like, or indeed how much impact a tourist tax might make on the lives of Edinburgh’s people, providing much-needed financial support to maintain the fabric of our beautiful city.
READ MORE: Iona Fyfe: Tourist levy is opportunity to save cultural institutions
Is he worried that people who can afford to stay at The Balmoral couldn’t afford a 10% levy? Or is it that people in that bracket are so unused to contributing their fair share that this minimal additional charge might seriously affect their ability to purchase yachts, Bentleys or homes with built-in cinemas and sports facilities, the demand for which has gone up by 1000%?
On a recent trip to Holland and Belgium there was a tourist tax at every hotel, which my travelling companion and I were happy to pay.
Marjorie Thompson
Edinburgh
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