Rachel Reeves’ policies are set to affect leisure venues including zoos (Image: Getty)
A boss of a charity at one of the UK’s most famous has slammed as her tax and wage rises are set to add a staggering £250,000 a year to its bill.
In October, the Chancellor announced employers’ and the National Living Wage will increase from April.
Ben Supple, deputy CEO of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) which has two sites, Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park, said: “This change to employer national insurance contributions will cost our charity around £250,000 a year.
“While we appreciate the pressures on government budgets, this will reduce funding available for vital conservation and community work, which is more important than ever.”
The charity’s venues will not be the only ones impacted.
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Edinburgh Zoo is one of the charity’s sites (Image: Getty)
Dr Jo Judge, the CEO of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), which includes more than 130 venues, also criticised Ms Reeves’ stance.
She said: “Rising costs, including National Insurance Contributions and increases in the National Living Wage, are having a significant impact on conservation organisations including modern zoos, aquariums and safari parks.”
The “vast majority” of the body’s members, she added, are “dependent on tempting families on brilliant and unforgettable days out to fund their vital nature conservation work”.
Dr Judge also said: “These rises are just the tip of the iceberg.
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Rachel Reeves announced tax rises in October (Image: Getty)
“We have seen a staggering rise in the cost of operating, including rising prices for building new animal habitats, rising energy costs and the greatly increased costs of moving animals between the UK and EU since we left the EU.
“All off this is having a knock on impact and making conducting world class animal conservation, education, research at these brilliant visitor attractions more difficult.”
It comes after the CEO of one of the UK’s biggest safari parks as her is set to cost his venue nearly £1million and hit jobs.
The boss of Yorkshire Wildlife Park, John Minion, said that she is taking the wrong approach.