Visitors to the Isle of Wight could in the future be charged up to £1.50 to enjoy the garden isle, helping to contribute to the Isle of Wight Council’s coffers.
The Council has said it is in discussions to introduce an Island tax — charging those coming to the Island a small fee to generate some of the authority’s lost income.
It’s been mooted that the tourist tax would apply to day trippers and short stayers, including those coming over for specific events such as the Isle of Wight Festival.
Labour councillor, Richard Quigley, asked in the council’s corporate scrutiny committee yesterday (Tuesday) if the Alliance administration had considered introducing a charge on journeys to the Island to help generate some of the significant amounts of money needed, adding that he could not see why anyone would disagree with the idea.
Cllr Quigley said:
“I do not see any issue in charging a £1 or £1.50 fee on vehicles starting their journeys on the mainland. You are looking at several millions of pounds”.
Councillor Jonathan Bacon, the cabinet member for environment and heritage, confirmed he was already in discussions with directors about it but would welcome Cllr Quigley’s views in discussions.
Expanding further on the concept after the meeting, Cllr Quigley said the council has been in an income deficit for many years, with government funding cut by £90million in the last 10 years and with the impact of the pandemic, previous investment strategies are not assured to pay off.
Also as a result of the COVID pandemic, vehicle journeys to the Island have increased as more tourists choose to holiday in the UK, instead of heading abroad.
Residents and people leaving the Island would be exempt. However, Cllr Quigley said he did not want people pretending to be Islanders to avoid paying it…
“I think it will get a lot of support from residents and depending on how it is marketed, I don’t think anyone else will notice.
“If the ferry companies become that bothered, they can reduce their fees by £1.50.”
OMG! This penny pinching by a bloody council who allows all the new housing for “holiday homes” This lot are so near the Scottish NSP and I am sick to death of them
What about if they don’t come by car!?? Daft idea!
The most sensible thing the council have come up with in years.
The council tax payers of the island are currently paying for all the water, sewerage, road upkeep etc that the tourists use when they are here. £1.50 isn’t even on the radar of expensive.
and when you travel to portsmouth or southampton would you like to be charged a tax to arrive there, as they are likely to put one in “to even it up”, as islanders don’t pay for any sewage, road upkeep etc that they use on the mainland.
think about it truthouts will you – all politicians, especially labour are trying to come up with more ways to tax, tax and tax – I am fed up with them – i work for me, not those spongers.
I think you will find that they indirectly pay for this in their accomodation bills, restaurant bills etc.
I don’t see anything wrong with charging just that little bit extra for people to come here, it’s not like it’s a massive amount and it makes sense.
So you wouldn’t complain if you were charged to visit the mainland. That is Southampton,Portsmouth and Lymington ports. It would be obvious that these places would retaliate by charging us islanders the same. So a car with 4 people for example would pay £6 extra. Would’ve this apply to a coach say carrying 40 passengers paying £60 between them ? Daft idea from a typical daft councillor.
I hardly ever go to the mainland but if i did it would be on foot and I wouldn’t mind paying just that small amount if it helped the local area.
As far as I know, we would then become the only place in UK charging a “tourist tax”.
I doubt whether it’s even legal.
But it would certainly scotch our claim to be treated like the mainland.
I think it’s just what an island with “city status” needs! -(I’m only joking, of course)! 🙂
As far as I am aware there have been similar proposals for Cornwall, Bath, Edinburgh (Scotland as a whole) and possibly a few more in the UK but it all waiting on legislation to be passed.
The UK is one of the few European countries that doesn’t have this tourist tax.
How much of this money will go into their pension pot??????.
Have to say it really does take the biscuit !!!.
Hope they don’t pretend to be islanders oh my giddy aunt ….what next Passports?????
Wonder how many hours spent on this brainwave?????.
Surely that would be a Central Government issue and not the local Council or we would have all the different counties across the UK setting up toll booths on their boundaries.
In theory I’d actually agree with it (if it were legal) and so long as we were 100% sure where the money was going to spent. But, does anyone actually trust the Isle of Wight Council with spending money wisely (floating bridge fiasco springs to mind)?
You do realise the current administration are the not the ones to blame for the Floating Bridge fiasco.
I thought Mr Bacon was involved !!!!!
The council insanity continues.Tourists may have increased this summer.However,the ridiculous ferry fares and over inflated attraction and hospitality prices are not going to encourage future tourists.The island is beautiful but once cheap package tours return who is getting to settle for a week in Gurnard when you can have a fortnight in Greece,Turkey, Spain for the same price.The hospitality industry on the Island may have had a captive audience this year but the over inflated prices will mean they will have a very lean winter because the majority of islanders cannot support places charging £7 + for a cheese sandwich.
Cut the dead wood from the council to save costs. stop mugging tourists… after they’ve been mugged by the ferry’s, mugged to park their cars , mugged to use the loos. They’ll just stop coming !
Yeah. Can someone explain why there are so many councillor Type representatives for each ward. Example, Sandown north, Sandown south Sandow west, Sandown east, Sandown Central, you get my drift. This goes on all over the island., and most claiming expenses. WHY, WHY ,WHY. Oh i know, lets fleece the holiday makers, then we can afford a some more expense grabbers, you know, Godshill North, Godshill South, Godshill central, you get my drift.
Does this mean its not one UK anymore ? So people will be charged the same when they go to the mainland as this would make even? Not sure this approach will be seen to welcome visitors. Look at the last money making chain link idea and how that impacted on local trade !
What a stupid idea, when it was suggested keeping tourist out to control covid we were told it couldn’t happen as we all belonged to the UK, now it seems we don’t. Think of those of us who have family on the mainland who think it is already too costly to visit, thy will have another reason to stay away
£1.50…Joke !! should be £10.50…!!!
I thought there was already a small landinrg fee charged as part of every ferry crossing between South Island and North Island.
I believe the relevant Harbour Authority bases its annual lieance fee on paasengers and/or vehicles carried, but that has nothing to do with IW Council.
It’s a distasteful idea on principle alone. All councils are in the same boat. Perhaps if they stopped making bad capital investments the funding deficit would improve.
I thought I lived in a FREE COUNTRY. This idea is just the thin edge of the wedge!!
Great Idea, although £1.50 isn’t enough. Just add it to the price of the ticket ( car or passenger ) I reckon 15% of the ticket price.
They have to pay for more repairs to the floating bridge
That’s it, tax people (because it is a tax) for coming over to the island to spend their hard earned money – I live here but if they introduce this and I want to see my mainland family in future, I shall not invite them here to spend their money in our shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs but I shall instead travel there rather than see any of them be fleeced to pay towards topping up the bureaucrats pension fund
Maybe they’re in a deficit because of all the money they keep sponging away on the floating bridge
It will cost them more than £1.50 to collect the tax, and if put on the ferry’s to collect it for the council they will incur charges which they will pass on to every traveller, How will it be verified audited as accurate if ferry company’s collect it. It will not add to Island coffers but be another expense passed on to island council tax payers.
Further thoughts:
What about the folk that arrive on their own boat and do not use a ferry?
I wonder if it is a one time charge or based on how many weeks you stay ?
Did they not scrap the Severn bridges toll to its free travel from the M4 into Wales and thus making that more attractive for the holiday maker, and possible generate more revenue from tourists as a result.
The Solent is an expensive stretch of water to cross by ferry as it is, I am not sure they want to add to their prices an IOW tax….
on top of the high ferry prices the island is not that great
It used to be. Not such a nice place now though, with all the druggies, alcoholics and trouble makers. Very sad.
Poor old Isle of Wight council they really don’t work very hard for their paycheque do they.
If they spend more time working to make are island a better place instead their noses in the Trough.
And guess what people with second homes over here won’t have to pay it.
Just a thought how much do the council get for the Isle of Wight festival being held at sea close park ?
Just checked my calendar in case it was April 1st. Are you serious? On top of the ferry and car parking charges you expect to encourage people to come here? Utterly dillusional.
Is this a slippery slope
Make it a fiver, £2.50 per car each way with £25 for coaches each way. Amounts to nothing on the cost of a holiday.
why people are against an idea that would reduce council tax and possibly improve services is totally beyond me.
As for those asking if people would be upset if they were charged a tax to visit Portsmouth, get a grip. This is about a minuscule tax on holidays not commuters.
As if the ferry fares aren’t high enough to stop most, this useless cabinet want to charge for visiting the island, utter joke !!!!
How about build a bridge of tunnel and charge a toll get rid of the ferry’s! That would bring in proper revenue!!!!
Councillor Quigley states “I think it will get a lot of support from residents”. A quick review of the comments here prove that he is completely wrong and totally out of touch.
The cost of ferry travel is a major disincentive to visiting the island for many tourists, so adding more cost to travel, as well as the hard pressed islanders will potentially have a detrimental impact rather than a positive one. I suspect Mr Quigley hasn’t done his homework on this one and needs to provide some substantive research rather than just flying a kite.
Looking at some of the pathetic comments people forget that the tourists enable us to survive.
What would unemployment be without tourists, what percentage over the year has received income from tourists my guess is probably 70%.
YOU DO NOT BITE THE HAND THAT FEEEDS YOU.
What a great idea if you go abroad into Europe they charge a local tax I went to Italy last year and paid £30 extra when checking out they charge by the day people need to stop moaning about everything and get in the real world
Shouldn’t RF & WL pay these fee’s? Or the Clowncil increase their licensing fee’s or rent?. Oh No! I forgot, didn’t they sell RF the land, with promises of regeneration……
That’s right, drive even more tourists away. They already pay enough into council funds due to rip off car parking charges and paying through the bum to use the practically non-existant toilets.
A Liebour councillor. Well I never. Liebour = Tax Tax Tax, drive away the business.
Do we pay a tourist tax to go into Wiltshire / Hampshire / Devon / Cornwall NO, as this is part of the UK, so why do the Islanders think that we should do so to go there, when we get to the Island we spend money and lots of it, is this spending not helping the economy ??????