BBC Media｜爱丁堡将成为首个收取游客税的英国城市

Edinburgh's tourist tax: a UK first

Although they're common in Europe, this will be the first city-wide tourist tax in the UK. The Scottish Parliament passed legislation paving the way last year, and now Edinburgh councillors are set to introduce the charge.

It will apply to anyone booking overnight accommodation including hotels, AirBnBs, hostels and campsites. The 5% charge will be capped at five consecutive nights.

Edinburgh City Council believes that the levy could eventually raise up to £50 million a year with the funds reinvested in the city to support housing, infrastructure and cultural events.

But a number of accommodation operators are sceptical about the scheme. Concerns have been raised about the time scale, and some self-catering operators have argued that this is an extra burden on top of a new licensing scheme that was introduced in 2023.

But, despite these complaints, the direction of travel seems clear. A number of other Scottish councils are developing their own proposals for a similar visitor levy.

词汇表
city-wide [sɪtiˈwaɪd] 全市范围的，覆盖全市的
tourist tax [tæks] 旅游税（针对游客征收的税收，通常用于维护和改善旅游目的地的基础设施和服务）
Scottish Parliament [ˈskɒtɪʃ][ˈpɑː(r)ləmənt] 苏格兰议会
legislation [ˌledʒɪˈsleɪʃ(ə)n] 立法，法规，法案
pave the way [peɪv] 为…铺平道路，为…打下基础
Edinburgh [ˈedɪnbərə] 爱丁堡（英国苏格兰首府）
councillor [ˈkaʊnsələ(r)] 政务委员，议员
be set to 准备好，即将做
charge [tʃɑː(r)dʒ] 收费，费用
overnight accommodation [ˌəʊvəˈnaɪt][əˌkɒməˈdeɪʃ(ə)n] 过夜住宿
AirBnB [ˈeə(r) ˌbiː en ˈbiː] 爱彼迎（民宿短租平台）
hostel [ˈhɒstl] 青年旅舍，旅社，招待所
campsite [ˈkæmpsaɪt] 露营地，度假营地
be capped at [kæpt] 上限为，限制在
consecutive [kənˈsekjətɪv] 连续的，连贯的
City Council [ˈkaʊns(ə)l] 市政务委员会，市议会
levy [ˈlevi] 征税，税款
fund [fʌnd] 资金，基金
reinvest [ˌriːɪnˈvest] 再投资，重新投资
operator [ˈɒpəreɪtə(r)] 经营者，运营商
sceptical [ˈskeptɪkl] 怀疑的，持怀疑态度的
scheme [skiːm] 计划，方案，体系
time scale [skeɪl] 时间规定，时间范围
self-catering [ˌself ˈkeɪtərɪŋ] （住宿）提供自炊设施的，自供伙食的
on top of 除……之外，额外
license ['laɪs(ə)ns] 许可证，执照，特许
complaint [kəmˈpleɪnt] 抱怨，投诉，不满
direction of travel 发展趋势，行进方向
proposal [prəˈpəʊzl] 提议，建议，提案

🗒️翻译和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复1可加入【打卡交流群】