CORNWALL’S tourism chief has poured scorn on the idea of introducing a tourism tax and has instead told councillors to try to claw back money from visitors through VAT.

Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall, was responding to reports that Cornwall Council is working with the Local Government Association on whether it could introduce a tourist tax.

The tax could be similar to one which has been debated recently in Edinburgh which suggested a charge of £2 per night being added to pay for local services.

Cornwall Council deputy leader Julian German said the idea of a tourist tax was being looked at after it was raised by residents responding to a survey on the council’s latest budget plans.

But Mr Bell said the idea was a non-starter and instead suggested an alternative way of generating more income for council coffers.

He said: “There is a simpler way of doing it. How much would be lost on administration and enforcement of a tourism tax?

“Businesses wouldn’t support it and I am not sure that tourists would like it either.”

Mr Bell highlighted that Britain is already the second highest tourism tax economy in the world due to things like VAT being 20% here compared to just 5.5% in France.

He said: “We are already highly taxed, the problem is it is all Treasury gain. People say there is a tourism tax in France, but they already have local taxation – for us to do that we would have to set up something completely new and we would have to have people in County Hall to police and enforce it. How much would actually be saved?”

The Visit Cornwall boss said there is currently a £1.5 billion visitor spend and if you assume that half of that is with VAT-registered businesses it means there is around £150m a year going out in VAT to the Government.

He said: “Why not urge that areas that are highly dependent on tourism – Cornwall, the Isle of Wight and Cumbria – could have a 10% of that VAT rebated back? Cornwall would get £15m.

“That could pay for public toilets, lifeguards, festivals, footpaths and lots of other things.

“The tourists already bring benefits to the people of Cornwall, businesses don’t want to charge any more. It would be no extra cost to the tourists as they are already paying the VAT and it would bring money into Cornwall.

“That, to me, is what the council should be asking for. We do believe the visitors should contribute, the reality is that they already do.

“Visitors would support it, businesses would support it and I know the MPs would support it. The people of Cornwall would support it and it would only be for those areas which are dependent on tourism so would not be a large amount of money for the Government.

“I would rather that the council support that than try and set something up that will fail.”

And after thinking a little more Mr Bell said the council should ask for 20% of the VAT paid by visitors back – a potential £30m a year.