HOTELIERS in Monmouthshire have joined others from throughout Wales in calling on the Welsh Government to follow their Scottish counterparts in ditching proposals for a ‘tourism tax’ – a nightly charge on visitors.

Since October 2017, a British Hospitality Association (BHA) Cymru campaign has urged all Assembly Members to work to drop the plans.

BHA Cymru’s latest call to ditch the tax in Wales follows a decision in Scotland to reject similar proposals.

Welsh Government officials are currently assessing the value of four possible new taxes and levies, with one to be chosen in the coming weeks. Tourism tax proposals sit alongside others under consideration for social care support, vacant land use and plastic bottle usage.

Anthony Rosser, Chair of BHA Cymru, said, ‘We hope Assembly Members will sign up to the Cut Tourism VAT campaign and also throw out the tourism tax proposals.

‘The Welsh Government has a very good record in recent years of supporting the hospitality industry in Wales and demonstrates understanding of the huge economic significance of the industry here.

‘We do not want a single, but potentially very damaging issue, like the introduction of a tourism tax in Wales, to significantly slide back the good gains we have achieved together.’