Tourist tax consultation

[Goodfellers]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-46566034

Highland council want the public's views on a tourist tax. My suggestion will be try and ban motorhomes from parking anywhere other than an approved site. that way the site owners can collect this tax. might help cut the amount of rubbish/human waste being dumped on our beautiful countryside.

I would happily volunteer to be a parking enforcement officer (for free).

'Wild camp' in a layby/beauty spot and you get a photo taken of your number plate and a hundred pound fine in the post, no face to face confrontation with the driver.

No overnight parking would apply from 11pm to 6am.

[aqua]

What will your uniform look like?

[Gronnuck]

Okay let’s levy say £2 per person, per night and imagine who would benefit the most. Why, council employees in and around Inverness of course. Past experience shows that any benefits would be used in or close to the Highland capital, a new department, new employees spending new money locally with very little trickling out to the far flung reaches of the area. I might think differently if the responsible department was opened and operated from a rural area in Caithness or Sutherland but we know it never will.

[Goodfellers]

What will your uniform look like?

As camouflaged as possible!

[Fulmar]

I think that those in motor homes are not 'wild camping' and these things have a toilet and shower on board which, I agree, has to be dealt with responsibly. But if you do as you suggest Goodfellers (and remember, responsible 'wild camping is permitted under Scottish law), then all you will do, as usual, is penalise the law abiding, responsible majority who have just come to enjoy beautiful Scotland. I speak as one who hates all the clogging up of the roads by slow camper vans in the summer and who rejoices in the wild winter when they have all gone away and we have got the place back! I would back a tourist tax if it meant more proper investment in the services needed to benefit both visitors and residents alike.

[Goodfellers]

I only suggest banning motorhomes from wild camping as you would not be able to collect a tourist tax from them. It would exacerbate the wild camping problem if registered sites charged motor homers a tax yet if they wild camped they could avoid the tax.

[aqua]

I would support a modest tourist tax if the proceeds were appropriately ring fenced. Wild campers would buy a nightly or weekly licence to be displayed on their windscreen. Again the cost would be modest to discourage tax avoiders.

[Bill Fernie]

This tax is being spoken of as a tourist tax but if it is levied on bed nights it will affect many more people than just tourists. What about people travelling on business or folk going to hospital in Inverness either for their own medical needs or to visit mums or ill relatives. Many tradesmen stay in hotels and bed and breakfasts on contract work. This may affect charges for all sorts of jobs,contracts and work.

[aqua]

The Edinburgh proposal is for a tourist tax of £2 per room per night, capped at 7 nights. A similar rate for motor homes would be affordable, although admittedly difficult to police.