Anglesey council set to reject £1.30-a-night tourism tax after strong opposition

Isle of Anglesey County Council is set to reject plans to introduce Wales’s visitor levy — the so-called tourism tax — following strong opposition to the proposals, according to BBC News and the Daily Post.

The nightly charge, set by Welsh law at £1.30 per person for hotels, B&Bs and self-catering stays — and 75p for hostels and campsites — would have been among the first levies of its kind in Wales. Anglesey’s own assessments estimated it could raise between £1.1m and £1.2m a year.

The island authority ran an eight-week public consultation, from 18 May to 13 July this year, before reaching its decision. Anglesey had previously been one of only two Welsh councils — alongside Cardiff — to signal it intended to bring in the levy, making the reversal a notable one.

Under the Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Act 2025, which became law in September 2025, each of Wales’s 22 councils may choose whether to adopt the levy, with the earliest possible start in 2027. The Welsh Conservatives have pledged to scrap the levy altogether if they win the 2026 Senedd election.

Sources

• BBC News — “Nightly tourism tax of up to £1.30 could be axed after strong opposition”: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx05rynj2d6jo
• Daily Post — “Anglesey Council set to reject bringing in Visitor Levy amid ‘strong’ opposition” (23 Sept 2026): http://mypresstoday.com/gb/en/post/2630/354760586/anglesey-council-set-to-reject-bringing-in-visitor-levy-amid-strong-opposition.html
• Isle of Anglesey County Council — visitor levy consultation (18 May–13 July 2026): https://www.anglesey.gov.wales/en/newsroom/news/have-your-say-on-potential-visitor-levy-for-anglesey
• TaxPayers’ Alliance — consultation submission citing Isle of Anglesey County Council’s Equality Impact Assessment (revenue estimates): https://taxpayersalliance.com/content/files/2026/07/Consultation-on-Visitor-s-Levy-in-Anglesey.pdf
• The Caterer — Welsh tourist tax rates and council plans (July 2025): https://www.thecaterer.com/news/1-pound-30-a-night-welsh-tourist-tax-given-green-light