‘Thanks, But No Thanks’: Tees Valley Mayor Snubs England’s New Tourist Tax as Critics Say It Will Hammer Holidaymakers

England’s mayors are champing at the bit to slap tourists with a new overnight levy, except one. Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen wants absolutely nothing to do with it.

Unveiled on Nov. 26 in the Autumn Budget, Labour confirmed plans to let local authorities impose a levy on hotel and Airbnb-style accommodation. Scotland and Wales will introduce similar taxes next year, set at £1.30 per night in Wales and 5% in Scotland.

England’s charge is expected to land at around £2 per night from 2027.

Other countries already use tourist levies. Japan is considering raising its International Tourist Tax from 1,000 yen (US$7) to as high as 3,000–5,000 yen ($20–$35) to tackle overtourism. Venice charges between €1 and €5 per person per night depending on the season.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan told BBC London the levy would allow City Hall to “raise money from tourists to use that to get more tourists, to improve the tourist experience.”

But Conservative Tees Valley Mayor Houchen on X gave the whole idea a boot: “There will be no tourist tax in Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool for as long as I’m Mayor. Thanks, but no thanks.”

The UK hospitality trade body warned the tax will make holidays in England more expensive, pushing up costs and fuelling inflation.

“If set at the level of the Edinburgh visitor levy, it would create an effective 27% VAT rate for consumers on their holidays, making it one of the highest in Europe. It would see consumers visiting destinations in England charged double the tax of visiting Paris and 70% more than in Barcelona and Rome,” it said.

So now a tax on fuel, tax per mile, ULEZ clean air tax, tax on parking hotel room VAT and now a tourist tax. 

Tax, tax, tax!