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‘Unnecessary’ tourist tax for Highland will hit Caithness more than most





Holyrood Notebook by Edward Mountain

Protesters against Highland Council's proposed tourist tax were in Inverness last week. Picture: James Mackenzie
Protesters against Highland Council's proposed tourist tax were in Inverness last week. Picture: James Mackenzie

The tourism sector in the Highlands has endured a particularly rough ride over the last few years.

Rising costs, the Covid pandemic and a global cost-of-living crisis have all contrived to make life nigh-on impossible for those in the industry, especially smaller operators.

So quite why the council is opting to load an additional burden onto their shoulders, in the form of a proposed visitor levy, is a mystery.

Operators were out in force last week to protest against the tourist tax plans, and no wonder.

It is a policy that will hit Caithness more than most other areas.

And it won’t just be those working in the hospitality industry who suffer.

This needless levy, ill-thought through and completely unnecessary, will have a potential impact on everyone.

For a start, there is no way of distinguishing between a tourist and someone who is visiting a place for other reasons.

For example, if a family from Caithness have to travel to Inverness for the birth of a child, they will need to stump up this additional charge.

It’s bad enough that local services are so poor expectant mothers have to take the treacherous road south just to access the maternity care they need.

To be slapped with an additional tariff amid the inconvenience is completely unacceptable.

And what of those travelling for work and business?

We know that government policy is dictating more people are travelling here to work on the vast number of renewable energy projects.

That brings its own controversies, but it is hardly fair to charge those working in net zero even more to stay here because policy makers want to extract more cash from tourists.

If there is any genre of tourism which does deserve to be shaken down for a bit more cash it’s those in campervans.

All MSPs know they are the source of the majority of local complaints.

And yet they will be exempt from this charge, despite being the ones most likely to leave a costly trail of mess in their wake.

Both the council and Scottish Government have also been slow in explaining where this money may end up going.

Maybe if it was reinvested wisely into the tourism and hospitality sector, people would look upon it more favourably.

But we all know what happens with these things; the cash will simply get swallowed up into the maw of the local authority’s overall budget, never to be seen again.

I understand why some people are sympathetic to the tourist tax idea.

They’ve seen it in operation in popular holiday hotspots abroad, and wonder if they can do it, why can’t we?

But it’s not right for Scotland, which is already a relatively expensive place to travel to in comparison.

And it is definitely not right for the Highlands, an area for whom tourism is so much more important than most other parts of the country.

It’s no wonder some industry experts have described the council’s proposition on this as “deplorable”.

If visitors are faced with yet another financial hurdle, they will go elsewhere, and there will be no shortage of cheaper, global destinations queuing up for their custom.

And once they’ve gone, they may never come back.

Highlands and Islands MSP Edward Mountain.
Highlands and Islands MSP Edward Mountain.

• Edward Mountain is a Scottish Conservative MSP for the Highlands and Islands.


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