Booming Edinburgh will be first UK city to introduce a tourist tax

Reuters ^ | February 7, 2019 9:48 AM | Elizabeth O’Leary

[Olog-hai]

Scotland’s capital Edinburgh is to become the first British city to introduce a tourist tax to try to better manage the impact of swelling visitor numbers and booming hotel occupancy, its council said on Thursday. […]

The council said it would use funds raised by the £2 ($2.60) per room per night tax “to improve facilities and better manage the city”, as other European cities such as Barcelona and Rome have done.

The tourist tax has been unpopular with some businesses, however. A survey conducted by the council found only a narrow 51 percent of accommodation-providers supported the idea, which needs a final sign-off by Scotland’s devolved parliament.

“This isn’t the right time for a new tax and more bureaucracy for small businesses,” Garry Clark, the head of the Federation of Small Businesses, said on Twitter. …

[Michael.SF.]

I'm OK with a modest tax on hotel rooms.

What I am not OK with is what they did here in AZ:

They added a tax to car rentals (I think it was 5%) to pay for the construction of a new stadium. Thus people who were not going to use the stadium were paying for it so Arizonans would not have to.

[rb22982]

biggest tax I’ve had on a room in the US was NY in midtown manhattan - was ~$250 for 2 nights for just tax (don’t even ask what the room rate was, my company was paying for it)

[Sam Gamgee]

Yes, while tourism is small part of the GDP in the USA, for England, it is massive. They shouldn’t do anything to make them less attractive.

FWIW, I love Scotland and hate London more each time I visit. The Scottish are friendly and have great food. London is very unfriendly.

[Trump_the_Evil_Left]

Lots of US cities and states pile on special taxes and surcharges, most often on hotel stays and/or rental cars. It gets really outrageous in some places. Costs borne by both businesses and tourists:

http://fortune.com/2015/08/03/travel-taxes-summer-vacation/

[sheana]

Never been to London and when my friend and I were discussing our trip she said...are we gonna do London too? I said no we are flying straight into Edinburgh. We’ll be there 2 weeks. So excited!

[mewzilla]

Books are great, but the series seriously sucked this season. If the Scots are relying on that, they’d better have a backup plan.

[Mears]

Lucky you-——I’ve been both places several times.

.

[dfwgator]

As Yogi said, “Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.”

[Huskrrrr]

Probably better than San Francisco. Without the poop.

[sheana]

I don’t read anymore. Can’t stay awake long enough. Turn a page and bam! I’m asleep. I plan on binge watching Outlander before we go to Scotland. Not gonna Outlander hunt there just looking for ideas on what to see. I’ve always wanted to visit the Highlands. Hubby’s family is from down by the English border. If we have time want to make it to the Johnstone homestead. He’s going to email the current clan head, or whatever they’re called, and see if we can get into the estate. I’m excited about the trip.

[Ikeon]

Vegas has over played its hand. They have raised game odds and lowered payouts, and gambling has come to the east coast- D.C./ Baltimore, why fly when you can drive an hour? maybe if they dis- banded the TSA people may be willing to fly. its sucks spending an extra hour or more flying both ways/ paying $30 a day for parking, waiting for the shuttle. Car rental places that promise $35/ day rent a cars and some how a 3 day stay is $180- airport tax, city tax, room tax, tsa precheck tax..

The beatles were right..

Let me tell you how it will be There's one for you, nineteen for me 'Cause I'm the taxman Yeah, I'm the taxman

If you drive a car, car, I'll tax the street If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat If you get too cold, cold, I'll tax the heat If you take a walk, walk, I'll tax your feet

[lizma2]

Love Edinburgh!! Love Scotland.

Check out the ghost tours. They’re fun and tell you a lot of history about the poor and middle class.

[j. earl carter]

biggest tax I’ve had on a room in the US was NY in midtown manhattan...

I had to look that up. The tax is 14.75% plus $3.50/night. If the room cost $800/night, you'd get close to $125/night in taxes.

[mewzilla]

We’ve been to the UK, but never to Scotland. If we do get the chance, I know my hubby would have at least of couple of distilleries on a list of things to do. Since we discovered Outlander, he’s developed an appreciation for good Highland whisky.

[bgill]

I’ll stay home.

[CaptainPhilFan]

Oh I just knew it! :)

I’ve been to Ireland and England but not Scotland. Wish I’d gone 10 years ago. It seems the place is pretty far gone to the left now. Highland Warriors are weeping in their graves. :(

The Outlander BOOK series is wonderful. Slight resemblance to the TV series but FULL of researched facts and history. It is NOT just a goofy romance series.

A steamy sex scene actually happens about every couple of hundred pages, not twice and hour :/

Sláinte!

[Bonemaker]

Scottish pikers...you have to eat a 17.4% room tax in the RICO of Chicago. $200 room + 17.4% = $34.80.

[Sam Gamgee]

Have a great time.

[Olog-hai]

I was in London for a few days, maybe two decades ago. Hotel room was like a closet; I’ve been in bigger rented rooms, and it made studio apartments look cavernous. Glad I got to see the city while the real AEC Routemaster buses were still running.

[Bonemaker]

“A steamy sex scene actually happens about every couple of hundred pages..”

More like a couple of hundred months...and it’s fiction.