Edinburgh considering tourist tax to maintain infrastructure

London [UK], Feb 8 (ANI): It seems that Edinburgh is all set to become the first UK city to impose a tourist tax.
The taxes, which attempt to charge visitors to popular destinations additional fees, are an attempt to cover the damage done by tourism, reported CNN.
According to reports, the city of Edinburgh is weighing the merits of a Transient Visitor Levy (TVL), aka a tourist tax.
A brief, posted to the Edinburgh government website, explains, “A TVL or tourist tax is defined as an additional charge on visitors staying overnight in paid accommodation.”
According to the council, Edinburgh TVL is necessary and an appropriate way to secure future investment in the tourism industry.
The City Council in Scotland's biggest city has voted in favour of the £2 (USD 2.60) per day fee. The next step will be for members of the Scottish Parliament to approve the bill.
The daily fee will be exempted for visitors who opt to camp rather than book a hotel room or a bed and breakfast and will be maxed out at seven days.
Visitors who stay longer than a week would be charged a maximum of £14.
Should the bill pass, Edinburgh would join an increasing list of destinations who are turning to tourist taxes to maintain infrastructure and make up for lost revenues from visitors who don't stay overnight.
A similar tax is levied in Venice, where apart from the tourist tax for cruise ship passengers and other travelers not staying overnight, a new ruling has resulted in a €10 (USD 11) per person "disembarkment tax" for anyone who visits the city, including overnight guests. (ANI)