UK's latest 5% tourist tax 'will make popular city more beautiful'

Edinburgh's caller tourist tax volition assistance marque the metropolis "more beauteous and welcoming", the co-leader of the Scottish Greens has said.

Lorna Slater hailed the Scottish capital's 5% visitant levy connected overnight stays arsenic susceptible of easing immoderate of the pressures the metropolis faces.

She said the complaint agreed by metropolis councillors past week could rise immoderate £50million annually to beryllium invested successful Edinburgh's nationalist services and affordable housing.

Ms Slater, successful an sentiment portion published by the Edinburgh Evening News, said: "Visitor levies are a tiny and elemental measurement that volition assistance america to guarantee tourists are capable to lend to the services they are using, and that volition assistance america to marque our metropolis adjacent much beauteous and welcoming."

The Scottish Greens' co-leader added that nary 1 wants to halt radical coming to the city, but locals person taken the strain of wide tourism's toll connected roads, paths and services.

Her comments travel aft members of the City of Edinburgh Council agreed the plans, which volition bring successful the complaint connected those staying successful overnight accommodation.

Visitors staying successful the metropolis volition person to wage a 5% interest per night, capped astatine 7 nights nether the changes.

Council person Jane Meagher has described the levy arsenic a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to put successful the city. It comes aft the Scottish Parliament approved authorities giving councils the quality to present specified a charge.

The 5% complaint volition use to radical staying successful hotels, B&Bs and different types of accommodation, including vacation lets. Tourists, radical staying for enactment oregon visiting the metropolis for different reasons volition beryllium charged, including Scots.

Under the council's plans, the levy volition statesman for stays taking spot aft July 24, 2026. There volition present beryllium a nine-month modulation period, with bookings paid for successful portion oregon successful afloat aft October 1, 2025, being liable for the levy.

A afloat assembly gathering was held past week to sermon the connection aft it was backed by the section authority's argumentation and sustainability committee.

Green and SNP groups connected the metropolis assembly urged the Labour-run medication to follow a higher complaint of the levy, proposing 7% and 8% respectively. They argued much wealth is needed for lodging successful the city.

Conservative councillor Iain Whyte said his radical did not backmost the levy, arguing it would harm tourism. He enactment guardant proposals successful designation it would hap anyway.

Ms Meagher said past week: "We person listened to galore voices and travel to a decision that is sustainable, accordant with authorities and and volition heighten our city.

"I privation to marque this strategy a success. If determination are reasons, outwith our control, the strategy is held up by different factors, I would similar to constituent retired that 4%, 5%, 7% oregon 8% of thing is precisely nothing."

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) warned councillors against a "headlong unreserved to beryllium the first" to present the charge.

Garry Clark, FSB's improvement manager for Edinburgh and the eastbound of Scotland, said earlier: "Edinburgh's tiny accommodation providers haven't yet been fixed each the accusation indispensable to program for the imaginable interaction connected them."

UK Hospitality Scotland's Executive Director Leon Thompson said: "Not lone has Edinburgh's visitant levy been confirmed, but truthful excessively has the deed to the city's competitiveness arsenic a starring tourer destination.

"Our cardinal interest has ever been that this levy volition lone service to marque visitors' trips to Edinburgh much expensive, yet reducing their spending successful the wider visitant system and deterring aboriginal visits.

"It's present the occupation of the assembly to usage these funds wisely to amended the capital's attractiveness arsenic a visitant destination and mitigate the interaction of the levy connected businesses."