, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 5
Welcome to you all this morning.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 5
Fantastic. Thank you very much.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 5
And then Rob—can you introduce yourself, Rob, please?
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 5
A warm welcome to you.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 5
Welcome, and we'll go to Gwynedd.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 5
—we'll start with you, Huw.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 5
It's evidence session 5. We've reset the room and reset online. We've got new witnesses—colleagues from local government—and I'd like to ask them to introduce themselves for the record. So, if we start in the room—
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 5
Welcome back to this second session this morning—evidence session 5.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 4
Diolch yn fawr.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 4
I'm sure that would be appreciated by Members here, definitely. So, we'll be in touch with that. Thank you very much.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 4
There will be a transcript available for you to check for accuracy. We appreciate the work that's gone into what you've developed so far and, obviously, the work that will come down the line, should this Bill pass, and the preparatory work. So, we'll take a…
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 4
Thank you very much for your time this morning.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 4
So, it's something that—. Yes. Thank you very much. That brings us to the end of our session. Thank you very much.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 4
And would there be a preference, or are you just—? From an administrative point of view—
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 4
And then, finally from me, we haven't talked much about refunds, and there are limited areas where refunds are applicable in the Bill. Also in the Bill, I think it forces—and you tell me if I'm wrong—a collection and then a refund rather than an exemption. Is…
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 4
And going back to what Anthony was saying earlier about some of those triggers for updating registers, for example, those might be things that are collected by HMRC—some of that data. Is there a data relationship between the two organisations to be able to…
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 4
Just a couple of quick questions, maybe, at the end like this. HMRC won't have an equivalent to this. It's probably the first time you're going to be in that place where next door don't have the same thing, so you have something new and shiny, potentially, to…
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 4
Sam, did you want to come in on this?
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 4
Thank you. I'll bring Rhianon in at this point, so if we could unmute Rhianon. Thank you very much.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 4
You'll have prompts, I suppose.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 4
Just taking that further, how often would you foresee checking the register and updating the register, or would that be at a time of—? I think I'm correct, but please correct me, would there be a nil return every year if you hadn't collected the tax, or would…
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 4
Thank you.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 4
Just on that point, is there a tension, then, between that principle and the way that you work and publishing the register, in that there will be details published on a register that is publicly available? We heard from universities and researchers saying how…
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 4
Okay, thank you.
, Finance Committee
Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 4
Just on that compliance aspect, within the legislation that set you up as an organisation, have you got the powers that you need to be able to, as Sam says, go around with a clipboard if you need to, or is there something that needs to be put into this…
