The STAA hits back at the latest attack on tourism. The budget on Wednesday saw tourism being used as a political football yet again with the abolition of Furnished Holiday Letting Tax (FHL). Coming days after the announcement on planning in England and with the backdrop of our industry being scapegoated for a lack of house building across all the home nations. In todays The Telegraph our Chief Executive, Andrew Fenner, said in response to the news that FHL would be cut, that while it would take some time for prices to rise, increases and even closures [of small tourism businesses]were “inevitable”. He said: “They [short-term let owners] are small businesses. They don’t have the capacity, as large hotels do, to absorb these constant increases in costs. This is just another thing that is going to hit them.” Andy added, “The housing crisis is caused by a lack of houses. Yet the government even abandoned its own house building targets! The lack of homes for people to live in is because we don’t have enough homes. The answer is to build more. Not to scape goat a successful part of UK business.” We are calling on the government to work with us to boost UK tourism not undermine it. We want to work with the government to support the thousands of jobs in our rural areas, towns and cities that rely on tourism. #Responsible #Sustainable #Tourism VisitBritain , Awaze, Sykes Holiday Cottages , Travel Chapter , Host & Stay , Laura Smith , Ben Edgar-Spier , Abode Worldwide , Department for Culture, Media and Sport , Thangam Debbonaire MP , Simon Jupp MP https://lnkd.in/eXi5ByHZ
Victoria Panni
9mo
Absolutely agree, and what about holiday properties that are not allowed to be a primary residence, or let long term and have 11 month occupancy restrictions imposed by local council. These properties were bought as business investments but will now be categorised for tax purposes as residential property even though no one can live in them. These properties do not use up local housing stock and provide a huge boost to the economy plus local communities in employment and trade. FHL businesses are now taxed more heavily than hotels and B&B’s even though they are trading in the same sector. The government have failed to understand the difference between owning a second home and running an FHL business.
Innovate UK EDGE Scale up Director
9moI live in the North East and short term lets bring a lot to the economy of remote Northumberland that have no other capital other than natural beauty. However there is an increasing number of houses and flats coming out of the rental market and onto short term lets on the North Tyneside Coast where families need to live close to Newcastle. I find this a worrying trend particuarly as the majority are owned by people from outside the region so bringing no economic benefit to the region. There should be clear zones where short term lets are alound and these are not where housing is in short supply and there is little or no land for new builds. Its important to stop the errosion of coastal communities. For once I find myself agreeing with the government on this.