Starting next year, the hotel’s “tourist tax” will be misled in Edinburgh, Scotland. This is the first time in the UK.
In late January, Edinburgh City Council decided to move forward at night accommodations in the city at 5% per night. The tax will come into effect on July 24, 2026.
The new tax is “a 5% payment for the cost of paid overnight accommodation. Collection is billed prior to VAT and not for extras such as parking, food, drinks, transportation, etc.” city website states. of the Edinburgh Council.
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The price does not apply to hotels only, the website said.
It also includes self-meter apartments, apartments, bed and breakfasts, guesthouses, hostels and students (rentals). The city’s website states:
Visitors to Edinburgh will need to pay new taxes to the accommodation. (Michael Wolchover/Construction Photography/Avalon/Getty Images)
According to the city’s website, the tax will close after the first five nights.
It is called the “tourist tax,” but anyone who for some reason pays for accommodation in Edinburgh has to pay.
“Anyone staying at a paid overnight accommodation in Edinburgh must pay the collection,” the council website said.
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“This includes tourists, people who stay for work or visit the city for other reasons, including residents of the UK and Scotland.”
Edinburgh City Council believes the new tax will raise approximately £50 million ($63 million in US dollars) per year.
Taxes are expected to raise millions of dollars each year. (Simon Dawson/Bloomberg by Getty Images)
Councillor Jane Meger, city council leader, called the new tax “an historic moment in Edinburgh.”
She continued. All year round. “
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Meagher praised the tax, saying there was “a massive amount of support, especially from local residents.”
But not everyone is excited about change.
The tax has been criticized by people who say the city is not attractive to tourists. (Educational Images/Universal Image Group via Getty Images)
Leon Thompson, Scotland’s executive director of Uxpitality, has expressed disapproval of the new tax, saying it will reduce the city’s competitiveness as a tourist destination.
“Our basic concern is that this collection will always make travel for visitors to Edinburgh more expensive and ultimately help to reduce spending on the wider visitor economy and prevent future visits. That’s what it is,” he said in a statement.
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“Now it is the council’s job to use these funds wisely to improve the capital’s appeal as a visitor’s destination and reduce the impact of collection on businesses.”
