Page 28 - Tropic Magazine Issue 21

TROPIC • TOURISM

What the pollies are saying

It’s going to be a hard sell, with the Government and
Opposition both currently against the plan.

MINISTER FOR TOURISM KATE JONES
“We went to the last election with a clear
commitment that we would not introduce a
bed tax. There is flexibility right now for regions
to introduce their own levies – like the ones that
already exist on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coasts.”
Big pitch MEMBER FOR CAIRNS
MICHAEL HEALY
VISITOR LEVY
Despite his background in tourism, Mr Healy
Cairns Regional Council plans to kick off 2020 by has been lukewarm on the idea. He’s now
spruiking the merits of its proposed visitor levy to the cemented his support by signing the Cairns
State Government. Legislation changes are needed for the City Deal, which champions a visitor levy.
plan, which would see visitors charged an extra 1%-2% on
their nightly accommodation fee to raise up to $20 million SHADOW MINISTER FOR TOURISM
annually for tourism marketing. Mayor Bob Manning said DAVID CRISAFULLI
Council is in the final stages of putting together a detailed “I understand the frustration of the Council
proposal. “We will have something with the Government by and the tourism industry. The way to fix this
the end of this calendar year,” he said. “We’ve got the run though isn’t a new tax, it’s ensuring areas like
into the June budget and the state election so we will deal Cairns are given a greater share of the money
with both the Government and the Opposition on this in a that’s already collected to promote a region
bipartisan way. We want them to realise how important this that’s being starved by the Labor Government.”
is to the tourism industry and to Cairns in general.”

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21 • Tropic • Issue 28