West Yorkshire Mayor welcomes levy on overnight stays

A new Tourism Levy has been welcomed by West Yorkshire's Mayor but there are concerns that it could hit the finances of many local businesses.

Transcript

00:00A recent report by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority suggests that a tourism levy could

00:05fund interventions to support the visitor economy, including culture and sport activities and

00:10marketing campaigns. It's now been confirmed that such a levy can be implemented and the fee would

00:16apply to visitors' overnight trips in the region. It would be up to mayors and other local leaders

00:21to introduce to modest charge if they feel it's right for their area. The move would ensure UK

00:27mayors have the same powers as their counterparts in cities like New York, Paris and Milan,

00:33where charges on short-term trips are already commonplace. The Secretary of State for Housing,

00:38Communities and Local Government, Steve Reid, said tourists travel from near and far to visit

00:43England's brilliant cities and regions, and the government is giving mayors powers to harness this

00:48and put more money into local priorities. Following the announcement, Tracy Brabin said

00:54she was delighted the government has heard the strong case mayors have made for the power to

00:58ask visitors to pay a small fee to help drive growth, making their regions even better places

01:04to visit. She added that it was a further vote of confidence in devolution, and shows the government

01:09is backing mayors to achieve their ambitions. Meanwhile, the head of policy and representation

01:15at the North and West Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, Mark Kaskey, said businesses in Yorkshire

01:20already facing an eye-watering level of taxation. Firms, most notably those involved in hospitality,

01:27are massively struggling with overheads, and there will be real concern about what any further

01:31pressure on consumers in the form of a levy will have on businesses' day-to-day revenues.

01:37He added that the Chamber would seek clear details on what the revenues would be used for,

01:41and how they would benefit the region's economy.

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