A " Bed Tax " proposal !

All levels of government are strapped for money and it seems inevitable that the bean counters are either thinking of reducing services - or seeking new revenue streams.   That hoary old chestnut - a " Bed Tax " is now being aired as a necessity to pay for the services that tourists require.

The very idea seems to run counter to the aim of making our city a tourist Mecca.  We actually spend money advertising it's charms in tourist magazines and brochures and our business community is geared towards making money from the tourist flow.   Any sort of tax slapped on facilities for tourists will make this area more expensive and less attractive to those we wish to entice.

It seems that the main motivation for this suggestion is aimed at the rubbish left by the New Year's eve fireworks crowd.  Council work crews were busy the next morning sweeping and raking tonnes of discarded drink containers, food wrappers and general garbage strewn over the lawn areas where people had viewed the displays.   It would be a cheap shot to blame this entirely on " tourists ".    The " locals " are just as guilty of leaving rubbish behind.

The council authorities also bleat that tourists cause them loss because of the need to maintain beach areas - and then there is the provision of lifeguard services.   Emptying the bins beachside is a very normal council responsibility - and is the council objecting to saving a tourist life in the surf as opposed to safety for locals ?

It seems that this whole furphy is just a thinly disguised attempt to impose a new tax - and gouge a little more money out of the people who under pin our tourist industry.   It would be easy to impose on the hotels and motels, but it would require the usual bureaucracy intrusion to apply it to every little " bed and breakfast " servicing this south coast holiday spot.

Imposing new taxes brings the danger of comparison.   Once an area gains a reputation as an " expensive place to visit " the tourist flow tends to dwindle.   Of course, the councils fear that this new bed tax idea might grab the attention of the state government - and become an imposition to gain state revenue.  In that case, we would suffer the down side of this bed tax morphing into a " tourist tax " - without council coffers seeing even a penny of that cash flow.

Perhaps it might be a wise move to consider that " let sleeping dogs lay " proverb !