ARGYLL and Bute Council’s policy lead for finance has welcomed the possibility of a change to legislation allowing local authorities to set a visitor levy.
The Scottish Government has announced the Visitor Levy (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill, which could enable councils to set a fixed-rate visitor levy, as opposed to a percentage, if they so wish.
It is hoped that the Bill could be passed by Parliament within the current session.
Argyll and Bute Council paused the visitor levy process in September to seek clarity on possible changes to legislation.
A special full council meeting is set for Thursday, January 29, and it has been confirmed that the possible visitor levy will be among the items on the agenda.
Councillor Ross Moreland (Liberal Democrat, Dunoon) told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that although the Bill had to pass through Parliament, it was a positive step.
He said: “When the council chose to pause the possible implementation of the visitor levy, it was to seek clarity and changes from the Scottish Government to the visitor levy Bill.
“So it’s good to see that the Scottish Government has listened to Argyll and Bute and other councils and is looking at changes, such as the possibility of a fixed rate.
“Businesses and tourism groups have consistently told us that any visitor levy should be as simple as possible, and these proposed changes could allow us to do that.
“The Bill obviously has to make its way through Parliament and is subject to amendments; however, as it sits now, it is a positive step in the right direction.”
Announcing the Bill, public finance minister Ivan McKee said: “When we introduced the original visitor levy legislation, we wanted to empower councils to implement a scheme that was right for their areas and easy to understand for local businesses.
“We worked closely with councils and tourism bodies when the original legislation was considered and passed by Parliament. These new proposals will give councils even more flexibility and provide clarity to businesses.
“We want to ensure visitor levies are an effective option for councils who choose to introduce them to boost investment in local economies and services.”
