Labour has announced a new tax!

[EvangelicalAboutButteredToast]

I know, I know, we’re all shocked.

In the King’s speech today. A new tourist tax that would be applied to overnight accommodation. It’s called the Overnight Visitor Levy Bill and could add around 5% onto hotel, B&B, guesthouse costs. They are pushing it through as we speak, I guess in time for summer.

So not new taxes then, as per the post I was replying to.

I’ll take that as a no then.

It was widely reported last year that 25,000 children had left private school education - more than EIGHT TIMES the government’s prediction. Those children are now mostly in state schools at a cost of £7-8k a year to the taxpayer.

The ASI said this week they think the figure is more like 65,000. Either way, it’s not made any money - but it was never about making money was it.

Did you read the article? It literally lists in a table all the new taxes Labour has introduced since they came to power,

Yes! People don't want to know anything positive about Labour. Nothing at all.
But yeah, apparently all they've done is raise taxes!

https://labour.org.uk/delivery-feed/tackling-the-cost-of-living/

I struggle to take my Dd and I away for a summer break in the UK as it is, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Adding 5% could mean the difference between going away or not. Why tax Brits again for staying in Britain? Add it to the foreign tourists coming in, but leave us alone.

Can you tell me what proportion of those children have left purely down to the VAT?
Because I heard way before Labour even came up with this that private schools were in financial trouble (backed up by a large increase of fees in a fairly short amount of time) and some were closing down.
I'd also like to know how many people have had to take their children out because of the cost of living? I keep hearing middle to wealthy incomes are feeling stretched now.

Does it go anywhere near dealing with the long term population decline caused by second homes and tourism?

We should have a student tax for the cities damaged by thousands of students living temporarily in the area.

Please name these "other taxes".

This Govt. is better than any of the Tory ones that came before it in this century, and if Reform ever get into power we will look upon the Starmer Govt. as "the good old days".

I think this would get a lot of international outrage, as there is the perception that British museums are packed with "stolen" artefacts.

The Louvre, Berlin museum, and the Met in New York all seem to get off Scott free though 🙄

Places that are popular with tourists already capitalise on that in numerous ways - as much as the market will bear for whatever it is they're selling. That's why the price of accommodation in January in Jaywick will rise dramatically more if instead you go to Poole in August.

Accommodation, ice creams, restaurants and cafes, souvenirs, trips, parking charges... prices for these are all set based on the most that tourists will be willing and able to pay - and going directly into the local economy, without a layer(s) of government/council admin to eat into it, before spending the remainder on things that may or may not be what the locals want. It certainly isn't the locals buying multiple ice creams and going to cafes every single day.

Just for some assurance all
its optional, for local mayoral authorities to decide. Not councils
it will probably take a couple of years to bring in, lots of across England and local consultation to be done, takes time
the values have not been decided, it could be a flat rate or % or vary by area
there will be a push to spend on the visitor economy, so should improve these and therefore support hospitality, although it’s true that some international areas have tried to use it to reduce tourism

You wanted posters to be outraged didn't you OP. Shame. Perfectly sensible tax that already happend in tons of places around Europe.

Seasonal? We are not an all-year round destination.

It will help to price some of the poorer people out so they can't go on holiday.

Lots of places in the UK already have a tourist tax, how can people be so against it, yet not be aware it already exists. Manchester raises just shy of £3 million each year from their tourist levy. Liverpool raised £10m in their first year.

I don’t mind paying when I’m abroad and welcome it here. I live in a tourist area. I love where I live and welcome tourists but would be great if the local councils had the option to do this.

You already pay it if you come to Liverpool and stay in a hotel. Started in 2025. It's £2 a night. Fair enough, I reckon. You go somewhere and you're using their facilities for the time you're there. Its not fair on the residents of that place to subsidise the tourists in their council tax etc.

Most of those listed are just closing previous tax dodges loopholes.

I live in a tourist city. I’d be happy for the council to raise a few extra £ to cover the huge cuts they’ve had to their budgets over the past 15 years. It’s galling that we pay thousands in council tax a year which goes on clearing up after stag/hen parties each weekend when we’ve had our local services destroyed.

What other taxes? The only one I can think of is VAT on private schools which really doesn’t affect many people and I suspect is not unpopular with people who don’t use them.

Unless governments are willing to tax the super rich or tackle massive tax avoidance they will have to continue taxing middle earners.

How can there be people this clueless? Especially when @PinoirNothad already provided a list of several of them.

And taxes enable the state to fund other (arguably more important) things that many poorer people rely on such as:

education for their children
Hospitals
Social care
Emergency services
Parks
Roads
Litter collection

The list goes on.

It’s a couple of quid per night. To be honest a holiday isn’t a right anyway, it’s a luxury.

It’s a luxury to go on holiday now 🤦🏼‍♀️. Bloody hell. I thought mumsnet abhored race to the bottom politics. Air passenger duty has also increased for those who travel abroad.

Well, it is. You don’t have a human right to go on holiday.