Bed tax would hurt tourism, hoteliers warn

    From: AAP
    January 04, 2013


FORCING tourists to pay a bed tax would cost jobs in tourism industry, hoteliers are warning.    

The Accommodation Association of Australia (AAA) has hit out a suggestion by NSW Local Government Minister Don Page that a bed tax would help tourism hubs pay for infrastructure and services strained by the influx of holiday visitors.

"The accommodation industry is strongly opposed to a bed tax in any shape or form," said AAA CEO Richard Munro.

"A bed tax would mean job losses in Australia's accommodation industry; it would be inevitable."

Mr Page made the suggestion after witnessing a surge in summer visitors in his electorate of Byron Bay during the Christmas and New Year period.    

More than 1.5 million visitors visit Byron Bay each year, and the town is straining under the pressure.
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"The reality is that the infrastructure can't cope and the question is: 'What do we do about it?' A bed tax is definitely an option," Mr Page told ABC radio on Thursday.

But the AAA's 2000 members said they would not support such a tax.

"If any level of government is considering introducing such a tax... it would be met with fierce resistance from operators of accommodation businesses and the broader tourism industry," Mr Munro said in a statement on Friday.

He said hoteliers already paid enough taxes and that government, not the industry, should fund infrastructure.

"Our industry already pays millions of dollars in council rates, state taxes and federal taxes every year, and having to pay more would be a disaster."

I thought the libs were against new taxes?

There is prolly something sneaky about it like the tax would cover boarding houses or something

SOB

adelcrow wrote on Jan 4^th, 2013 at 12:34pm:


' What the FU CKS THIS GOT TO DO WITH ABBOTT

you poor  dam WINGNUT 

so some drongo makes a silly comment and you lot go ape???

you need to get alife and in the case of IMFULLOFIT... a job.

adelcrow wrote on Jan 4^th, 2013 at 3:20pm:



It is easy, one just has to follow the smell of your crap.

longy said:

you need to get alife and in the case of IMFULLOFIT... a job.

................................................................................
......

Says the person who paid $21,000 for a 12 day training course, but sits on Ozpolitics all day, more likely it's you that needs the job.

Bobby. wrote on Jan 4^th, 2013 at 5:18pm:


I thought he was a water boy !! don't they only work at half time and after the game? the rest of the time he sits on the bench playing with his putaa...