Dublin councils working together to implement a tourist tax

Kenneth Fox

Local authorities across Dublin are working together to campaign for a tourist tax.

The group will lay the groundwork for legislation, lobby for broad political support, and promote public awareness.

As The Irish Times reports, the prospect of a visitor levy has proved contentious in the past. The argument has been dismissed by hotels as “groundless”, even though supporters have pointed to its success abroad.

In recent months, the finance committees of Dublin’s four local authorities have planned a united front for legislation that would clear the way for a new income stream.

Dublin City Council, Fingal and South Dublin County councils have all signed up to the proposed working group, while Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown is close to doing so.

“The overall message is that local authorities aren’t particularly well funded...we have to look at other ideas,” said Cllr Séamus McGrattan, chairman of Dublin City Council’s finance strategic policy committee.

Currently, local property tax, commercial rates and rents are the primary income sources of local authorities.

Any tourist accommodation charge – known variously as a visitor transient levy or a hotel accommodation tax – has yet to be agreed, but would likely comprise a flat or percentage rate.

“Other European countries started doing it, so it sort of looked like a viable option,” Mr McGrattan said of the initial consideration of the plan two years ago. “When we looked into it, we saw the success, particularly in some of the American states where it’s done, and I think Edinburgh now is the latest city to bring it in.”

The Sinn Féin councillor has noticed a shift in the political mood at the national level, a change in “tone” that suggests a greater likelihood of getting it through Leinster House. “Before it was a sort of blank no,” he said.