Powys County Council have been discussing the possibility of charging a visitor levy on tourists to the area (for context, I've just booked a couple of days holiday in Manchester and part of the hotel fee was a small tax - about £1.20 - as a visitor levy).
Gareth Ratcliffe had some thoughts about that, which he shared on Facebook.
He was particularly concerned with the wording of the proposal. Option 3 states that the money would be used to "support general Council services when the work impacts on visitors". He points out that business rates in Hay already raise over £500,000 a year, and that the car park raises £365,000 a year which goes to the County Council - but when local groups hold events, they are also expected to pay the County Council.
He also pointed out that the National Park contributes greatly to the prosperity of the area by attracting visitors, but they don't have the same access to funding as the Council - and they need proper funding for the infrastructure to support tourism. This is a responsibility of the Welsh Government rather than the County Council, but it is something that needs to be borne in mind.
He ended his speech by recommending that a visitor levy should be designed so that the benefits are shared fairly among all organisations that support tourism.
It'll be interesting to see what the County Council decides.
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