Glasgow councillor welcomes tourist tax move
Significant savings are expected to be made for the upcoming budget
Last updated 12th Jan 2024
A potential tax for tourists visiting Glasgow has been put on the agenda and is being welcomed by a city councillor.
The move would follow Edinburgh in charging visitors an extra £1 per night to the cost of their hotel room.
Manchester also recently implemented a similar tax.
In difficult times, it is expected the council needs to make tough decisions ahead of approving their next budget.
And at a meeting yesterday, Catherine Vallis said a charge would be "nice" ahead of next month when financial plans will be revealed.
In response to a query from the Labour councillor about charging tourists, a council official admitted that “legislation is going through for that".
He said: “We are making progress but there is a long lead in time. It is fair to say the industry is heavily opposed to this.
“Edinburgh is probably leading on that. We may choose to follow in their footsteps rather than trying to get in front of them to manage that process through.”
Tough times
The Scottish Government is proposing to give councils powers to introduce a visitor charge to bring in money to pay for local services.
The comments on a potential Glasgow tourist tax were made as the Operational Performance and Delivery Scrutiny Committee were updated on money raising options for the local authority.
It was also announced that other examples being considered are changes to council tax for second and empty homes, workplace parking charges and congestion charges.
An official said the proposals are progressing through COSLA at varying rates.
But he added: “The likelihood of anything being in place in 2024 to 2025 (upcoming financial year) is very slim but within the lifetime of this session is more likely.”
He confirmed the council tax freeze means any changes to that are on hold currently.
The discussion was aimed at enabling the council to "deliver essential services in a sustainable, innovative and efficient way for our communities".