Brits will soon be hit with a new charge when visiting a key UK city which is gearing up to implement a new tourist tax.
From June next year visitors will need to fork out £2 for every overnight stay they spend in Liverpool. Tourism chiefs are predicting the new charge could bring in a whopping £6.7million over two years.
Tourist taxes are used in many cities around Europe. It means visitors staying in those areas have an extra levy imposed on them when they stay in those locations. The taxes are usually paid indirectly through accommodation providers or holiday companies.
Football fans who flock to the city every year to watch their club play Liverpool or Everton will almost certainly have a foul taste in their mouth over the new charge.
However, accommodation chiefs believe it will be a small price to pay for music and sports fans.
Members of Liverpool’s Accommodation Business Improvement District, aka BID, are being asked to implement the new City Visitor Charge to help support its growth and development.
The body’s chief executive officer Bill Addy said he does not believe visitors will be put off by the charge.
He said: “We know that overnight guests spend more money in the city than daytrippers so encouraging more overnight stays, through conferences or major events spanning several days, generates a greater income for the city, be that through hospitality, retail, cultural venues.”
The fee which would be administered by BID will be made up of 80 hotel and serviced apartment providers.
Cllr Robinson, who became leader of Liverpool City Council in May, said a tax paid by tourists coming to the city would help to address budget issues.
He told the Liverpool Echo: “This city is crying out for a tourist tax. Lets be honest, it makes sense. It won’t solve all of our financial problems of course but it will certainly help.”
Liverpool has become a cultural and visitor powerhouse in recent years and Cllr Robinson said such a tax could help to address some of the financial crises being faced by the cash-strapped council.
Last year Manchester became the first UK city to implement a new visitor charge. It means that overnight guests in city centre hotels or holiday apartments are charged £1 a night. The policy raised £2.8m in its first year.
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