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Andrew RT Davies blasts ‘remarkable admission’ by Adam Price that tourism tax could be used to fund free school meals

27 Mar 2022 4 minute read
Andrew RT Davies and Adam Price.

Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies had attacked Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price over what he called the latter’s “remarkable admission” that a tourism tax could be used to fund universal free school meals.

Plaid Cymru have already agreed that universal free school meals will be rolled out in primary schools from September as part of their cooperation agreement with the Labour Welsh Government.

But Adam Price announced during Plaid Cymru’s Spring Conference that they would also fund universal free school meals for secondary schools in those council areas where they won power at May’s forthcoming elections.

Asked by Sunday Politics Wales how he would fund that pledge he said that more money would be coming to councils as the Welsh Government gave them the ability to raise extra taxes on second homes and introduce a tourism tax.

“In the practical financial terms that you refer to, we are going to have additional sources of revenue in some parts of Wales – for example, the premium in terms of council tax on second homes, and potential tourism levies in the future,” he said.

“It will depend on the context of each local authority,” he said and pointed to parts of England where universal free school meals had already been rolled out. “It can be done because the experience of those five local authorities in England has shown the way.”

The Welsh Government is currently holding a consultation on a tourism tax as part of their cooperation agreement with Plaid Cymru.

But Andrew RT Davies said that it was a “remarkable admission by Adam Price that the new tourism tax would be used to pay for school dinners on Wales Politics show”.

“I disagree with the tax in the first place. The First Minister of Wales keeps telling us it will be used to improve tourist facilities. Surely even they know you can’t do both?”

‘News to me’

Last week a Tory Senedd Member had asked the First Minister whether councils in Wales could be forced by the government not to decrease spending on tourism if a tourism tax comes in.

Conservative South Wales East Senedd Member Tom Giffard said that he was concerned that any money received that was ringfenced for tourism spending would simply lead councils to decrease other spending on tourism.

First Minister Mark Drakeford responded to ask whether it was now Conservative policy for the Welsh Government to tell them how to spend their money.

Tom Giffard asked: “I’ve seen claims from Welsh Government Ministers that seem to suggest that any proceeds from a tourism tax would be ring-fenced in some way so that councils can increase tourism spending.

“I’m not really sure how Ministers can make that claim, because the obvious current flaw is that, whilst the Welsh Government could ensure that any moneys raised could be ring-fenced, it doesn’t appear that the Welsh Government can do anything to protect councils’ existing tourism budgets.

“Unless there is that safeguard, we could see an introduction of a series of additional taxes across the country that leave no discernible mark on the amount of money being spent on tourism.

“So, can the First Minister clarify whether the Government has the power to force councils not to decrease existing tourism spending when introducing a tourism tax, and if so, would they use it?”

In response, Mark Drakeford suggested that he contribute to the ongoing consultation.

“We will certainly explore in that consultation the hypothecation of the money raised through a local tourism levy in order to support the services that local communities provide and that make tourism successful in the first place.

“If it is the policy of the Conservative Party that the budgets of each local council should be set here in the Senedd and that we should act to prevent local authorities—elected, by the way, by people in their own areas—from varying the investments they make in different parts of their responsibilities, well, that is news to me.

“I wasn’t aware that it was the policy of the Conservative Party, but if it is, there’ll be a chance for you to make that clear in the consultation.”


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Arwyn
Arwyn
2 years ago

What on Earth is RTD2 on about now? Can someone take the batteries out please?

Last edited 2 years ago by Arwyn
Aled Rees
Aled Rees
2 years ago

Free school meals from a tourism tax and rates premium,sounds good to me.

Andrew Thomas
Andrew Thomas
2 years ago
Reply to  Aled Rees

Agreed absolutely a great idea

Marc
Marc
2 years ago

Come on, you don’t expect the Torys to think spending money on children a good idea, do you?

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
2 years ago

Here were go again. The mouth has spoken. I’d say this to Tory miser Andrew RT Davies. Why can’t we use taxation, in this case, a tourism tax, to fund school meals in Wales. Aren’t our children worth it? And remember when you quote money Andrew how your ideocracy in London wasted £37 billion on a failed track & trace app, including billions more lost to furlough fraud and faulty PPE. Bloody hypocrite! With that said. In reality there should be no need for a tourism tax in Wales if we had the devolution of the Crown Estate denied by… Read more »

Fi yn unig
Fi yn unig
2 years ago
Reply to  Y Cymro

Simon Hart said there was no ‘appetite’ for devolving control of the crown estates. Well I’m ravenous for parity with Scotland, fair treatment and proper social justice but some things are not available on the Tory cash starvation menu.

Kurt C
Kurt C
2 years ago

Remarkable for a Tory, normal for everyone else. Tax is to better society, not to be avoided or handed to chums

Grayham Jones
2 years ago

And all the taxes on second homes in wales for the children of wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Carol Loughlin
Carol Loughlin
2 years ago
Reply to  Grayham Jones

*Wales

Richard
Richard
1 year ago
Reply to  Carol Loughlin

Cymru

hdavies15
hdavies15
2 years ago

I thought, maybe wrongly, that tourism related taxes would be aimed at funding the maintenance of infrastructure and services in those tourist areas. Tackle the excessive rubbish, the parking facilities, toilets, even the road surfaces that all take a battering from tourists attending certain localities. As for free meals at schools maybe he meant the surcharge on second homes could be allocated but there again there ain’t many second homes in some deprived areas, or would that be a national fund rather than driven by local authorities ? Sort it out before the saboteurs and negative propagandists get hold of… Read more »

tabor
tabor
2 years ago

It has been the norm in most European countries for years

Fi yn unig
Fi yn unig
2 years ago

It seems clear from Mark Drakefords’ comments that the tourism levy is not necessarily to be ringfenced for tourism so Adam Price has not made a ‘remarkable admission’ to anything. The trouble here arises from the Tories forgetting that they are in Cardiff Bay not Westminster where we will raise taxes from the better off to help the worse off, an outlandish and abhorrent idea in Toryworld. RT should focus his efforts on making sure his boss in London gets the proceeds of the National Insurance hike directly into health and social care where it is specifically designated OR seek… Read more »

Kerry Davies
Kerry Davies
2 years ago

You have to hand it to Drakeford. Andrew RT comes up with a remark that in Tory terms sounds at first politically astute then MD trumps it in terms a two year old can comprehend.
“So you want the Labour government to instruct the Tory local authorities how to spend their budget? Put it in writing please.”

Gareth
Gareth
2 years ago

Someone should tell RTDavies, that road tax on cars is not spent exclusively on roads.

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