Readers' Letters: Would a tourist tax deter visitors?

Readers’ Letters is a free weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Tourist tax

This week, readers gave their views on the news that Harrogate's hoteliers had voted against the York and North Yorkshire mayor's plans to introduce a £2 per night 'tourist tax'. The intention is to spend the estimated £679,000 it would raise on marketing the town.

"Not every turkey votes for Xmas."

Sean Weldon

"People who have never worked or owned a business trying to tell people who have what’s good for them!!!

"It’s just another political way of trying to find a new revenue source anyway. You can bet if it does come in (because the Mayor and North Yorkshire Council will do what they want anyway) none of it will be spent on local hospitality anyway. It’ll all go into the social care fund."

Andy Graham

"So £1 per person per night on a £100 room will stop tourists visiting Harrogate? No it won’t, and it has nothing to do with the Labour government and whether they have people in their Cabinet who have or haven’t run a business. Boris Johnson, Sunak, Truss, May, Badenoch – not one of them has run a business.

"Have you had lunch at Bettys recently? £1 wouldn’t even buy a sultana on a fat rascal, so it isn’t going to deter someone stopping at Hotel du Vin. And what is wrong with extra income going into social care? It benefits society in general."

Alistair Young

Unemployment

Readers also discussed the news that unemployment in Harrogate and Knaresborough has shown a sharp increase.

"Hardly surprising for a town that basically runs on hospitality. The Government up the minimum wage and employer NI then wonder why fewer people, especially young people who work the hospitality jobs, get employed."

Andy Graham

"Workshy layabouts with made-up illnesses."

Justine Donnelly

"Not a case of people not wanting to work – it's a genuine case of there's absolutely no jobs going. Unless you can work weekends, but if you have no support system, how can you work a weekend when you have no one to watch your children? 

"Nurseries don't open weekends and private babysitters take your wage before bills, so I genuinely feel for parents getting accused of not wanting to work when they genuinely do but have no other options due to childcare."

Fiona Doyle

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

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