The Welsh Government intends to give local authorities the power to levy a charge on visitors who stay in a wide range of accommodation. This includes hotels, self-catering accommodation, B&Bs and campsites.

Visitor accommodation providers would be responsible for the collection and payment of the levy to the tax authority (which could be a local authority or the Welsh Revenue Authority). The plan is to reinvest the revenues raised into local authority and tourism services.

ICAEW’s Tax Faculty has submitted a written response (published as ICAEW REP 96/22), focusing on questions regarding the design and administration of the levy.

In particular, ICAEW’s response highlights:

• The challenges a tourism levy may present for accommodation providers against the backdrop of recent struggles in the tourism sector (ie, COVID-19, supply and staffing issue, inflation and high energy bills).
• The importance of keeping the design of any future levy as simple as possible, so that it is easily understood by visitors and accommodation providers.
• Concerns regarding the administrative burden that collecting, recording and paying over the levy may create for accommodation businesses, especially small providers.
• Digitalisation of submission of returns and payment of tax should be prioritised and integrated with other systems as much as possible. Suitable alternatives must be put in place for digitally-excluded taxpayers from the outset.
• The need to balance the revenues raised against the cost of implementing such a tax, through a detailed cost-benefit analysis.

Read the consultation.