Perth and Kinross council had a meeting on the visitor levy on Wednesday 5th February 2025.
P&K’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee agreed to take forward what it calls “early engagement” with stakeholders. This is not a full public consultation on whether to introduce a visitor levy but the stage before that.
The Council anticipates taking 6-10 months of this early engagement with the feedback presented in a report to councillors in December 2025, alongside a draft scheme; and then they would vote whether to take this forward to a three-month public consultation.
Fiona Campbell, CEO of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers, said:
“The ASSC notes that Perth and Kinross Council are to engage with affected stakeholders over a tourist tax. This engagement is to be welcomed, provided it is genuine and meaningful and not a fait accompli.
The Council must listen to the voice of business who will ultimately be responsible for administering this scheme, with many operators still grappling with the impact of onerous short-term let licensing and planning regulations. Moreover, as tourism is worth around £680m to the region, we expect a full economic impact assessment to accompany the proposals presented to councillors later this year.
Overall, any levy must be set fairly, have good governance and thoughtful implementation at its heart, and monies raised for tourist infrastructure only and not for general spend. Failure to take these steps could result in a policy that erodes the very industry it is supposedly intended to support.
We understand the rationale behind a visitor levy but a badly implemented policy will do more harm than good. Our overriding message to councillors is simple: if you do this, do it right first time.”