Edinburgh will make a final decision on the tax next week. (Image: Getty)
A gorgeous UK city is set to agree to adopt a scheme, with the final decision due to be made in less than a week.
Councillors in have said yes to its 5% visitor levy that could be in place from May this year to allow for a transition period.
Following the meeting of the policy and sustainability committee and a 12-week public consultation, the final will be made by the council on January 24.
Council Leader Jane Meagher said adopting the visitor levy would be “important, innovative and ground-breaking” work for the city.
It’s predicted to in the first three years, and then £50 million a year. Of that money, £5 million will be used to build new affordable housing, and £2 million will be budgetted for communities to decide what to do with it.
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Some called for the levy to be increased. (Image: Getty)
From what’s left, 55% will go to , 35% to local arts and culture, and 10% to tourism marketing.
Cllr Meagher said: “Today represented yet another important milestone in our journey towards securing a visitor levy for Edinburgh – and to realising a once in a lifetime opportunity to invest tens of millions of pounds towards enhancing and sustaining the things that make our city such a great place to visit – and live in – all year round.”
The recent meeting also heard calls for the levy to be raised. The proposed it be upped to 7%, while the Greens suggested 8%. The went the other way, however, calling for it to be lowered to 4%.
The argued that upping it to 7% would create more opportunities, and called for the housing portion of the funds to be increased to £20 million.
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If the council approves the levy next Friday, it will apply to advance bookings made after May 1, but industry bodies have of a transition period.
Cllr Meagher said she’d spent roughly a decade “lobbying for and developing” the visitor levy scheme. She said: “The scheme we have today has involved a great deal of collaboration with the industry, residents and visitors through extensive consultation.
“At all stages we have engaged and we have listened – and it’s in this spirit that we must continue to fine tune the levy as it launches and grows.”