Pinewood Lodge owner Rob Greig addressed the issue during the public forum section of yesterday's Queenstown Lakes District Council meeting.
"At this point I want to register my strong opposition to the direction this council is taking in terms of a bed tax."
He claimed a suggested $10 bed tax would result in people avoiding staying in Queenstown, and in turn would have a significant impact on accommodation providers.
Mr Greig said he was speaking on behalf of "50 to 60 people" who were against a bed tax.
"There are a lot more sensible approaches that can be taken.
"You do not need to drive a tip-truck through the area and destroy businesses."
Later in the meeting, councillors voted to retrospectively endorse the council submission to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment on the international visitor conservation and tourism levy.
The submission included a call for "rapid, concurrent consideration" of the proposed international visitor levy with a law change to enable a "local visitor levy [bed tax]" for high-growth regions.
During discussion on the motion, Queenstown Mayor Jim Boult said the $10 figure was suggested as an average, and was not a set amount.
Mr Boult has strongly pushed for a bed tax to fund infrastructure in the resort, saying it would ease pressure on ratepayers.
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Comments
Oh what rot. If the accommodation business is so precarious that $10 extra per night is going to drive visitors away then there is something wrong with the whole model. Of course, there IS something wrong with the whole model: it is predicated on low cost, high volume tourism and the rest of us are frankly sick of the mess it is making of our home. If a bed tax pays for necessary infrastructure then good. If fewer people come and the infrastructure can cope, also good. Businesses need to stop wanting a free ride. Pay up or go away.