VAB30 Individual

Senedd Cymru | Welsh Parliament

Y Pwyllgor Cyllid | Finance Committee

Bil Llety Ymwelwyr (Cofrestr ac Ardoll) Etc. (Cymru) | Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Bill

Ymateb gan Unigolyn | Evidence from Individual

General principles

1. What are your views on the general principles of the Bill and the need for legislation to deliver the Welsh Government’s stated policy objective, which is to:

§ ensure a more even share of costs to fund local services and infrastructure that benefit visitors between resident populations and visitors;

§ provide local authorities with the ability to generate additional revenue that can be invested back into local services and infrastructure to support tourism;

§ support the Welsh Government’s ambitions for sustainable tourism?

(We would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 500 words).

This idea for a tourism tax was thought up after the Covid lockdowns and people could not leave the UK. With so many people in the UK in this period and they could not travel aboard, maybe it was a good idea with so many people holidaying in the UK and Wales.

The last two years, 2023 and 2024, the weather and summers in Wales have been bad (mainly raining). I own a caravan park. Last year our number of customers where down because of the wet weather. From talking to people it was cheaper to go abroad on an airplane and have better weather, than to stay in Wales.

I pay business rates, council tax, VAT and tax on my income. Holiday makers pay tax on their holiday. If we put our prices up it is by a small amount not to discourage people from coming to our caravan park or Wales. We should be encouraging people to holiday in Wales as cheaper alternative to travelling abroad, even if we have wet weather in Wales.

Tourist's spend quite a bit of money when they are on holiday, hopefully that money will be spent in Wales and not some other country. From my experience, I tourism tax would not work fro Wales because of our wet weather, which is being caused by climate change.

A better tax for me, living by a river, would be a surface water charge for any property sending water down to us, to help pay for flood defences.

The Bill’s implementation

The Regulatory Impact Assessment is set out in Part 2 of the Explanatory Memorandum (https://senedd.wales/media/g5ipwvwh/pri-ld16812-em-e.pdf). This includes the Welsh Government’s assessments of the financial and other impacts of the Bill and its implementation.

2. Are there any potential barriers to the implementation of the Bill’s provisions? If so, what are they, and are they adequately taken into account in the Bill and accompanying Explanatory Memorandum and Regulatory Impact Assessment?

(We would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 500 words).

3. Are any unintended consequences likely to arise from the Bill?

(We would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 500 words).

4. What are your views on the Welsh Government’s assessment of the financial and other impacts of the Bill?

(We would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 500 words).

Subordinate legislation

The powers to make subordinate legislation are set out in Part 1: Chapter 5 of the Explanatory Memorandum (https://senedd.wales/media/g5ipwvwh/pri-ld16812-em-e.pdf).

The Welsh Government has also set out its statement of policy intent for subordinate legislation (https://business.senedd.wales/documents/s155951/Statement%20of%20Policy%20Intent.pdf).

5. What are your views on the balance between the information contained on the face of the Bill and what is left to subordinate legislation? Are the powers for Welsh Ministers to make subordinate legislation appropriate?

(We would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 500 words).

Other considerations

6. Do you have any views on matters related to the quality of the legislation?

(We would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 500 words).

7. On 26 November, the Cabinet Secretary wrote to the Finance Committee with some indicative additional registration and enforcement provisions (https://business.senedd.wales/documents/s155952/Letter%20from%20the%20Cabinet%20Secretary%20for%20Finance%20and%20Welsh%20Language%20Indicative%20Stage%202%20amendments%20that%20.pdf) he intends to bring forward at Stage 2 of the legislative process (https://senedd.wales/NAfW%20Documents/Assembly%20Business%20section%20documents/Guide%20to%20the%20Legislative%20Process/Guide_to_the_Legislative_Process-eng.pdf).

Do you have any views on the indicative additional registration and enforcement provisions the Welsh Government intends to bring forward at Stage 2?

(We would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 500 words).

8. Are there any other issues that you would like to raise about the Bill, the accompanying Explanatory Memorandum and Regulatory Impact Assessment, or any related matters?

(We would be grateful if you could keep your answer to around 500 words).