Push to delay introduction of Edinburgh tourist tax thrown out
The Scottish Tourism Alliance said the original October deadline was ‘untenable’.
A bid to push back the introduction of Edinburgh’s tourist tax by three months has been dismissed by councillors.
The visitor levy in the Scottish capital is due to come into effect on October 1 and applies to all overnight stays from July 24, 2026.
However, Conservative councillor Ian Whyte had put forward a motion to push this back to January 1, 2026 after the Scottish Tourism Alliance highlighted concerns.
The alliance wrote to council leader Jane Meagher in July and said the “lack of practical guidance for operators both from the Scottish Government and the council” led the organisation to believe "the deadline for implementation is untenable”.
Cllr Whyte then asked chief executive Paul Lawrence to prepare a report on the practicalities of extending the deadline to January “or such time as full Edinburgh specific guidance is available to operators with a lead in time”.
However, Cllr Meagher said she “believes that any further delays would affect projected income and risks putting [the] industry in further uncertainty”.
Councillors therefore voted down Cllr Whyte’s proposals to push the introduction date back to next year.
Edinburgh is set to become the first city in Scotland to introduce a visitor levy on overnight stays. Mimicking similar schemes that exist in places like Germany, Spain and Italy, it is hoped the tax will bring in £50 million annually for the city.
The tax covers hotels, bed and breakfasts, self-catering accommodation, and rooms and properties let through websites like AirBnB.
All the money raised from this levy must be reinvested back into tourist facilities and infrastructure in the capital. Earlier this year, councillors agreed to set the tax rate at 5 per cent.
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