‘Cut in Tourism VAT will benefit South Down’ – Rogers

SDLP South Down MLA Sean Rogers has backed an SDLP motion in the Assembly calling on the Enterprise Minister and Finance Minister to conduct a report into the benefits of lowering Tourism VAT with the aim of presenting a strong argument to the Treasury.

Speaking in the Assembly today Rogers said, “With the Irish Open coming to South Down in a matter of days, our local tourism and hospitality sector are facing increasingly challenging conditions with disparity between North and South and the UK remaining one of only two countries in the EU not to offer some sort of tax relief for the tourism industry.

“Northern Ireland’s tourism and hospitality sector plays a key role in creating and maintaining employment in the North and in attracting visitors yet its true potential remains untapped.

“The Executive has failed to match the tourism and hospitality sectors strategic long-term vision epitomized in their failure to develop Narrow Water Bridge.

“South Down has some of the most breath-taking scenic landscape in Ireland. We will experience a fantastic boost in the wake of the Irish Open but the long-term gain will simply not materialise if the right policies are not in place and one of the key policies we need is a reduction in Tourism VAT.

“We call on the Minister to work with the new Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment to present the benefits a reduced rate of VAT on tourism and hospitality to the Treasury.

Rogers added, “Now more than ever, facing years of austerity handed down from London, I urge the Ministers to make Northern Ireland’s prosperity their priority.”

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Posted by Newry Times News on May 25 2015. Filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry