Making Brits pay ‘tourist tax’ for staycations angers locals, visitors & businesses in one fell swoop, Clarkson says

MAKING Brits pay a tourist tax for staycations angers locals, visitors and businesses in one fell swoop, Jeremy Clarkson has said. Government plans to hand regional mayors power over a “tourist tax” could soon see local leaders across England add a fee to hotel rooms, bed-and-breakfasts, and holiday lets like Airbnb. The Sun has been campaigning to stop the holiday tax Credit: Alamy Both local visitors and overseas tourists will be hit by the tax Credit: Alamy The charge is a new levy added directly to overnight accommodation bills in participating regions. It will apply to everyone staying overnight, whether you’re an overseas tourist visiting London or a British family taking a weekend staycation in Yorkshire. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Writing in The Times today, former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has railed against the proposal. The Clarkson’s Farm star said the proposals would anger everyone, from locals to business owners to overseas tourists. He suggested that the increased cost of holidaying in the UK would lead to a dip in overall tourism, costing the country in the long term. Clarkson wrote: “There’s the economics to consider. It’s reckoned that a 5 per cent tax would raise around £600 million a year. “But how many people, when faced with the prospect of an increased bill, will stay at home, or go elsewhere? Some say it’ll be so many that the gross revenue from tourism will fall by £700 million.” The TV star went on to poke holes in the government’s argument that the money raised by the tax could be used to bring in more tourists and raise more capital. Most read in The Sun This is despite demands in tourist towns for fewer visitors during busy periods. Across the country, Clarkson claimed, people were “clamouring” to have less tourists visit. In Bourton-on-the-Water locals say the “UK’s Venice” has been ruined by swarms of irritating tourists – and the situation is getting worse. Figures show in one year alone 238,000 people visited the tiny Cotswolds town by coach or large minibus. Residents say they can’t park as there are too many buses but businesses say a bus ban would hit trade and and turn the picture postcard village into a “ghost-town.” A recent protest was held in the town with locals taking to the green to demand fewer tourists visit. Clarkson said the issue was nation-wide , saying: “People are clamouring for fewer tourists. And the government responds by saying mayors can impose a tourist tax and then spend the money on making everything more attractive to tourists. “So, in one fell swoop, they annoy the locals in tourist hotspots, and they put even more pressure on the nation’s businesses.” The Sun has been campaigning to Stop The Holiday Tax, warning it risks pricing hard-working families out of precious staycations. We have urged the Government to ditch the plans amid fears they could hammer seaside towns and encourage Brits to holiday abroad instead. UK Hospitality has previously warned that copying Edinburgh across England could amount to a £1.6billion tax raid and add £100 to a family holiday. It has also warned of tens of thousands of job losses in a sector already struggling with soaring costs. More than 100,000 hospitality jobs have disappeared since Labour came to power. Comment now