'Turn in direction' needed for visitor levy funds which cost Edinburgh Fringe venue £60,000
The visitor levy came in in July
There needs to be a "turn in direction" in how visitor levy funds are distributed, the founder of Assembly has warned, as he revealed the Fringe venue has had to pay £60,000 towards the tax this summer.
Speaking at the Assembly gala launch for this year's festival last night, William Burdett Coutts called for action from all businesses and organisations benefitting from the levy, saying “I would like to make sure the council starts putting some back.”
He said the Fringe "generates a fortune for this country" and warned festival venues "just stretch along" financially.
Earlier this week, Nicola Benedetti, director of the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF), called for a "fair, open and continued conversation" around Edinburgh's visitor levy, warning that there is a sense of complacency around the festivals.
The visitor levy came into force last month, putting a five per cent tax on overnight accommodation. Edinburgh Festival Fringe chief executive Tony Lankester recently warned that the festivals were “not seeing any of it” and called for more investment from the council.
Mr Burdett-Coutts told the audience at the event: “You’ve no doubt noticed that there’s a tourist levy in place now. I’m told by our part, that we’re putting something like £60,000 into that from Assembly. I would like to make sure the council starts putting some back.
“I think that also has to apply to everyone in Edinburgh which has a love for this festival, whether you’re a business, a landlord or a shop that benefits out of this, there needs to be a turn in direction of where the money goes.
“At the moment, this festival generates a fortune for this country.”
He pointed to a recent study by Festivals Edinburgh, the umbrella organisation for the city’s main festivals - including the Fringe and the International Festival - which claimed the festivals generate £852 million for the Scottish economy.
He said: “That’s an amazing figure, it’s extraordinary. That means Assembly, because we represent something like 500,000 people across the festival, we’re putting something like £100m into the economy. But I can tell you as a business, we just stretch along. It’s very tough.”
Edinburgh City Council has been contacted for comment.
It has previously defended the levy, saying it will use the funds “to reinvest in everything that makes Edinburgh so special”.
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