Visitor Levy on Scottish marinas quashed

THERE has been lobbying success by British Marine.

With it getting the proposed Visitor Levy for boaters using Scottish marinas quashed, that would have forced marinas and other mooring providers to charge the levy, which has now been amended.

Incorrectly grouped

The draft legislation had incorrectly grouped 'boat moorings or berthings' alongside hotels, camping sites, B&Bs, as types of accommodation where the Visitor Levy would have to be charged. That would have placed a huge and disproportionate burden on mooring providers who do not provide accommodation and would have led to many unfair scenarios that would have been rightly challenged by boaters.

This is why British Marine has been leading the case for change. Over the last six months, it successfully secured support from parliamentarians and its key partners, such as the Scottish Tourism Alliance and RYA Scotland, to persuade the Scottish Government of the need to amend the Bill.

Great example

Chief Executive of British Marine, Lesley Robinson, tells:

“This is a great example of how important it is for government to engage with industry to fully understand its complexities and ensure legislation is as pro-business as possible. We are grateful that, in this case, the minister heeded our warnings and I hope this will prove helpful to any other government considering introducing similar legislation.”