Heathrow: Britain has ‘shut the door’ on home-grown growth with tourist tax February 12, 2024 Britain has "shut the door" on home grown growth by abolishing VAT-free shopping for overseas visitors, Europe's largest airport has warned.
Watches of Switzerland: Firm ‘encouraged’ by tourist tax review as UK market underperforms February 8, 2024 Luxury retailer Watches of Switzerland is continuing to feel the pinch from rich shoppers scaling back and the damage wrought by the so-called ‘tourist tax’. In an update this morning, the Rolex seller said group revenue declined by one per cent to £397m in the third quarter, and in the UK and Europe it fell [...]
Spring Budget 2024: Tourist tax under review ahead of next week’s statement February 4, 2024 The so-called ‘tourist tax’ is under review ahead of the Spring Budget, according to reports, indicating the Treasury could ditch the policy.
January sales fail to impress shoppers as London footfall disappoints February 2, 2024 January was another disappointing month for London retailers as shoppers steered clear of the high street. A new report by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) showed footfall across the capital declined by 1.7 per cent at the start of the month. This has widened from a fall of 1.4 per cent recorded in December. With [...]
Hunt should listen to business leaders on the costly tourist tax January 30, 2024 Can a relatively small change to VAT laws really cost the country as much as West End retailers suggest? To the many of us who don’t choose our next weekend break on the back of a tax-break on our next Gucci handbag, the idea seems ludicrous. But there is a reason so many retailers and [...]
Tourist Tax: M&S and Primark urge Jeremy Hunt to ‘think again’ as £11.1bn wiped of GDP January 30, 2024 Business leaders are piling fresh pressure on the government to scrap its controversial tourist tax as data shows it is eating away at UK GDP and banishing international visitors.
The Notebook: Hunt must scrap the tourist tax if the UK wants to stay competitive January 29, 2024 Where the City’s movers and shakers have their say. Today, James Chapman, Director of Soho Communications, takes the Notebook pen. The tourist tax is causing the UK to fall behind European rivals Ahead of his Spring Budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is casting around for measures to promote that most elusive of things, economic growth. It’s [...]
What could we see from Labour’s election manifesto? January 25, 2024 Labour leader Keir Starmer has set a deadline for draft manifesto submissions - so what could the party offer the UK at a general election?
Central London Alliance calls for government to cut VAT for hospitality, tourism and leisure January 23, 2024 Central London Alliance (CLA) calls on the Government to address the UK’s lack of competitiveness on the global tourism market, beginning with a cut to VAT for the hospitality, tourism and leisure industries. Figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that visits to the UK increased 112 per cent year-on-year, generating £30 billion [...]
London Oxford Street spend slips as pressure mounts to scrap tourist tax January 23, 2024 Bosses behind Oxford Street are piling fresh pressure on the government to scrap the tourist tax after visitors failed to splash the cash over the Christmas period. Dee Corsi, who heads up the New West End Company, said footfall grew three per cent over the holiday season but customers kept their purses shut, with spending [...]