Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has led more than 100 mayors and other leaders in a full-page newspaper advertisement calling on the Government to give councils $220 million a year towards the cost of tourism, the NZ Herald reports.
The advertisement, in the Weekend Herald, says central government takes about $10.5 billion a year in tourism-related revenue, including $4.4 billion in GST, while councils and ratepayers pay for most of the local infrastructure and services visitors use. The proposed sum is equal to 5% of the GST on tourism spending and would rise as the visitor economy grows.
It also backs a New Zealand Tourism Funding Charter. Supporters include the mayors of Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton, Queenstown Lakes and Rotorua. Brown has previously sought a hotel bed-night levy for Auckland, which would need a change in the law.
Source: NZ Herald
