Thursday June 4th 2026
Inverclyde Council headquarters
Written by Glasgow View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Councillors have agreed to keep an eye on the national roll out of a visitor levy before making any future decisions on introducing it in Inverclyde.
The Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024 gives local authorities the power to implement a levy on overnight accommodation charges with the money going towards enhancing services and infrastructure mainly used by visitors.
It is the decision of each local authority as to whether they introduce a levy, how it is administered and what rate it is set. At the moment just five Scottish councils out of 32 have agreed to implement a levy with many others carrying out consultations.
This is separate to a potential Cruise Ship Levy which the previous Scottish Government consulted on with the results published earlier this year. Councils are waiting to see if the new Scottish Government will bring forward legislation to allow them to introduce a cruise ship levy.
A report to the council’s Policy and Resources committee outlined the research done so far into the impact of introducing a visitor levy in Inverclyde.
It states that the Glasgow City Region Intelligence Hub has estimated Inverclyde has up to 178 rooms which may be chargeable. Based on those figures, a 2.5 per cent increase could raise £300,000, a 5 per cent could raise £600,000 and a 7.5 per cent increase could raise £900,000 per year. There would be a cost to implement the scheme which would make a 2.5 per cent increase negligible and could actually cost the council to implement.
Informal engagement has also taken place with local businesses which found most are against the introduction of a levy. They believe the levy would be a burden on the viability of businesses and would put Inverclyde at a relative disadvantage.
Councillor Robert Moran, chair of the policy and resources committee said: “The Scottish Tourism Alliance has recommended local authorities which haven’t yet made a decision, to monitor what is happening where it has been introduced before proceeding. I think that’s sensible advice.
“This is new legislation and it’s only right that we take our time to look at it and make sure we get it right for businesses and visitors to Inverclyde.
“I would however urge the Scottish Government to bring forward legislation as a matter of urgency to grant councils the power to introduce a cruise ship levy. Such a levy could potentially be of greater benefit to Inverclyde than an overnight visitor levy.”
It was agreed at the meeting that Councillor Moran would write to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Jenny Gilruth MSP, on behalf of the committee to urge her to develop legislation on the cruise ship levy as a priority.
The papers for the Policy and Resources Committee are available here: https://www.inverclyde.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/3851 and the meeting can also be watched on the council’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@inverclydecouncil
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