Scottish Greens put Glasgow on track for Scotland’s first tourist tax

27 Jun 2024
Finance

The visitor levy will raise funds for vital services.

Glasgow’s Scottish Green councillors have received unanimous support for their bid to make Glasgow the first city in Scotland to apply a visitor levy to support local services and communities.

The Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act was passed by the Scottish Parliament last month, giving local councils the power to impose a percentage charge on overnight accommodation. The income from that levy can then be invested in local public services which are used by visitors, such as parks, leisure and culture facilities.

Scottish Green Councillor Blair Anderson, who moved the motion, said: “I am delighted that all of Glasgow’s councillors agreed with our Green proposal to start the legal process and get the tourist tax up and running as soon as possible.

“The Scottish Greens are clear that the money raised needs to be invested back into our city and the services which residents rely on, like our parks, libraries and streets. This will make the city a more welcoming destination for visitors, while also showing Glaswegians that our local communities and local services must come first.

“The tourist tax should only be the first step in fair funding for councils and local services. It was Scottish Greens who secured the law which made this possible, and now we need other parties to step up to the plate and be honest about the need to fund services through fair taxes, from a wealth tax to an end to unfair tax breaks for businesses.”

The scheme was secured by the Scottish Greens during budget negotiations in 2019 but was one of a number of bills postponed due to the COVID pandemic.

Scottish Green Co-leader, and Glasgow MSP, Patrick Harvie, said: “We’re incredibly fortunate that so many people want to visit Glasgow and that it is such an attractive destination for tourists.

“Tourism brings a lot of money into local economies like Glasgow, but our councils see very little benefit from it. This is a simple step that will ensure that tourists are able to contribute to the services that they are using, while providing vital funding for our local authorities.

“There are iconic cities all over the world who use visitor levies like this, and I am proud that it is Scottish Green councillors who are working to ensure Glasgow will be the first Scottish city to join them in doing so.”