Hotels: Taxation

Mrs. Spelman
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which organisations have made written representations to her Department on taxation on hotel accommodation in the last 12 months.

Mr. Woodward
DCMS has received 57 written representations on this subject since 1 March 2006. These include four submissions to the Department’s Welcome>Legacy consultation which raised the matter of an accommodation tax. A significant number of proforma letters, written as part of the Caterer and Hotelkeeper’s campaign against an accommodation tax, were sent to the Prime Minister and forwarded to the Department.

These representations were received from tourism and hospitality trade associations, individual businesses, local authorities, representatives of attraction businesses, Members of Parliament and public and private sector partnership organisations.

Since the publication of Sir Michael Lyons’ report on 21 March, the Government have stated there is no intention to introduce a local bed tax.