A new tourist tax charging visitors to Glasgow could rake in up to £20 million a year for the city.
Glasgow City Council councillors have agreed to kick off plans for a new visitor levy to be rolled out as soon as possible.
The scheme would see visitors pay an extra charge on top of overnight accommodation costs.
The tax could only be two years away – 2026 to 2027 – depending on how quickly it can be brought in.
Councillor Blair Anderson (below), Scottish, Greens, moved a motion calling for the plan at a meeting last week, which was voted in by other city council politicians.
He said the levy could bring in £10 to £20 million annually for Glasgow based on estimates “on other schemes including modelling in Edinburgh”.
Speaking after he got backing for the proposal, councillor Anderson said: “I am delighted that all of Glasgow’s councillors agreed with our Green proposal to start the legal process and get the tourist tax up and running as soon as possible. Councils have been underfunded for years – there is no time to waste when it comes to getting this levy income invested in public services.
“Greens are clear that the money raised needs to be invested back into our city and the services which residents rely on, like our parks, libraries and streets.
“This will make the city a more welcoming destination for visitors, while also showing Glaswegians that our local communities and local services must come first.”
“The tourist tax should only be the first step in fair funding for councils and local services. Greens secured the law which made this possible, and now we need other parties to step up to the plate and be honest about the need to fund services through fair taxes, from a wealth tax to an end to unfair tax breaks for businesses.”
The Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill was passed in the Scottish Parliament on May 28 granting councils the the power to impose the visitor charge.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article