, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 8
Please could you write to us—through you, Chair?
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 8
The bit of my question that perhaps I didn't—. I hope you can hear me. The bit of my question that I didn't make clear: where in the world do they do that? I mean, there are over 50 countries with tourism levies of one kind or another. Which one does that?
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 8
Thank you for that answer then. I'm coming back to you, I'm afraid, or pleased. You've advocated that a 'pitch' within the definition of visitor accommodation be reviewed. You've also mentioned business falling below a certain threshold for their annual…
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 8
I picked 14 February because it's Valentine's Day.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 8
Can I say to Bluestone I think you've got an excellent venture there? My wife and my children have been there with grandchildren, and really enjoyed it. They speak very highly of it. It's not cheap, though, is it? If you wanted to go in February for three…
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 8
It's one I've come round to agreeing with as well.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 8
Diolch, Cadeirydd. We’ve talked about this to everybody we’ve talked to today and previously, so I’ll paraphrase at this stage. Do you think that under-18s should be exempt?
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 7
That's why Dubai and Japan have so few tourists.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 7
A last question. This has been happening around the world. France brought it in at the beginning of the last century. Are there any lessons that we can learn from what's happened in the rest of the world? Particularly, will we expect, if we have a tourism…
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 7
Thank you. I'll be a tourist up in Bangor and Caernarfon at the weekend. To everyone, section 23 of the Bill sets out the types of spending by the local authorities that would meet the requirement for spending on destination management and improvements. What…
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 7
Diolch, Cadeirydd. This is to the FSB. Your evidence mentioned that the committee should consider whether the legislation should provide a power for Ministers to change where the revenue from the levy is channelled—rather than a local forum.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 6
I have no further questions I want to ask.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 6
I've got no further questions.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 6
So, if I had something that was £200,000 and I was getting a rate of return of 0.5 per cent, I'd think I'm in the wrong business.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 6
What's the value of the property you're talking about?
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 6
I don't see the accounts of these businesses, but I'd be surprised if many of them were in such a situation that paying £1.75 per person per night would actually mean them closing. Do you know how I can get access to those accounts?
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 6
But, can I just say, as somebody who was born and brought up on a council estate, I find it difficult to be told by somebody who, I would assume, has had a very privileged background that I don't understand about low-income families? I'd like to put that on…
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 6
And you also know that prices vary, not only at different times of the year, but on demand. In a budget hotel, I paid £120 for a room for one night in north Wales, and, the same room in the same hotel, I paid under £50 at roughly the same time of the year…
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 6
You talked about prices earlier, and I did want to come in at that stage, but I did a quick check again. If you were renting accommodation in Cornwall or renting it in Blackpool, Cornwall's roughly twice the price for almost every item of accommodation. Why…
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 6
Diolch, Cadeirydd. It's fairly common, isn't it, a visitor levy, across the world, certainly across western Europe. France brought one in at the beginning of the last century. Do you know anywhere, which, having had a visitor levy, has decided to end it?
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 5
Finally from me, you noted that the principle of raising the levy on children and young people under 16 years of age was unreasonable—a view that others have expressed. Has the Welsh Government responded to you on that?
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 5
You said that 'registration and administration requirements for businesses need to be as simple...as possible', but we know that most of western Europe already has this levy, and we are an outlier in Britain and Wales in not having it. Is there anything…
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 5
Diolch, Cadeirydd. Your written evidence emphasised the importance of clear communication around the benefits of the levy, given concerns by some businesses. Would you envisage the need for local authorities to carry out preparation work with stakeholders to…
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 4
I won't say any more, I just think we’ve overcomplicated something that is really simple and it’s done in the rest of the world. I’ll end there, Chair.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 4
I’m just speaking from personal experience. I'm going to north Wales this weekend, and I’ve gone through Booking.com and they’ve taken my money now and I assume that if I’m paying a levy, they’ve taken the levy as part of that booking.
