Page 26 - Tropic Magazine Issue 22

TROPIC • TOURISM

Levy duty

CANDIDATE’S VIEWS
Words: Renee Cluff
Could 2020 be the year Cairns
gets a tourism levy to deliver a
major - and much-needed - boost
to the region’s marketing budget? Government and Opposition to
According to incumbent Mayor help facilitate it, the tourism
Bob Manning, the tourism levy levy is set to be one of the major
(or bed tax as it’s called in less issues in the Local Government Some councils add a levy
politically sensitive circles) is election campaign. So, Tropic
his number one priority if re- caught up with the other Mayoral onto rates which picks
elected on March 28. With Mayor contenders to find out where up every ratepayer. Our
Manning pushing the State they stand on this critical issue. intention for this levy
Georgia Babatsikos in Cairns is to catch the

AGAINST tourists, the people who
Last year, Cairns Regional Council funded TTNQ at least $5.1 are visiting here and
million dollars. This is a large amount of money and I’d want to
fully examine exactly how it’s being spent before even thinking using our resources
about such a tax. Without having examined in detail the TTNQ Bob Manning,
budget, which I don’t have access to, for now I would not endorse the levy. Cairns Mayor
But I would work with TTNQ to expand its current marketing to promote
the region as “Cairns! The Rainforest, the Reef and SO much more....Come What is a
stay a while!” Time and again my customers say they would have stayed
longer if they’d known about all the activities and culture in Cairns, such tourism levy?
as food culture, museums, artisan coffee growing and café culture, art A tourism levy raises
galleries and indigenous cultural events.
funds by charging tourists
Ian Lydiard a ‘bed tax’ when they book
accommodation.
FOR
I’m 100% for it. The tourism levy needs to happen. There has Charge
been some talk about taxing local businesses, and I think that’s 1% - 2% per
the wrong approach. Instead, I support tourists contributing accommodation
small amounts that can be reinvested directly back into our bed night
local tourism industry. To make that happen, we need to lobby the
State Government to make the required legislative changes. Tourism is Levy aims to
too important to our local economy for us to wait around for the State raise up to $17
Government to bring about change. If elected, I commit to pushing this million for TTNQ
as a matter of urgency. to spend on
marketing the
Jen Sackley region
AGAINST Requires State
It’s my understanding that our city’s accommodation operators Government
prefer not to have another tax imposed on their businesses, nor to amend
their guests at this time. Under the proposal, our visitors would legislation to
shoulder a further tax on top of airport landing fees (which are allow councils to
introduce the levy
higher than Brisbane), taxi fees (as we have no buses from the airport),
reef tax and departure tax (higher than in Brisbane), spending up to Cities such as Kyoto,
$100 before they’ve even had a good night’s sleep. Clearly the most recent Paris, Rome, New York
market information needs further examination. It requires us as civic and Kuala Lumpur,
representatives to take a look at creative and innovative ways forward to among many others,
stimulate future growth of our tourism markets. charge a bed tax

26 • Tropic • Issue 22