PRESS RELEASE - For immediate release

11th September 2026

The Workers of England Union has criticised Government plans to give Regional Mayors and strategic authorities the power to introduce an Overnight Visitor Levy on accommodation across England.

The WEU says the so-called tourism levy is, in reality, another potential tax on working people and their families taking holidays and short breaks in their own country.

Under the proposals, the charge would be calculated as a percentage of accommodation costs. Labour's Regional Mayors have pledged a 5% ceiling where a levy is introduced, but the Workers of England Union warns that a political pledge is not the same as a statutory limit.

A 5% levy would add £100 to a £2,000 accommodation bill and £150 to a £3,000 bill.

Stephen Morris, General Secretary of the Workers of England Union, said:

"Let's stop dressing this up as a tourism levy. If a family in England can be taxed for taking a holiday in England, it is another tax on working people.

"A 5% pledge today is no guarantee of what the tax could become tomorrow. Once politicians are handed a new power to tax, working people have every right to ask where it will end.

"Families should not be taxed for taking a break in their own country, nor should they face a postcode lottery depending on which Regional Mayor controls their destination."

The Workers of England Union is also warning that handing different tax-raising powers to Regional Mayors risks further fragmenting England, leaving workers, families and businesses facing different charges depending on where they live, work or visit.

Taxed for Taking a Break: The New Holiday Tax Coming to England.

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