Welsh Government has an agreement with the OBR and we have a memorandum of understanding kind of agreement, which sets out what Welsh Government will require of them. Obviously, we do pay for their services, so we expect and receive a good quality service. They use the same mechanisms for undertaking their forecasting work and analysis as they do for other parts of the UK. I think it's important that we have the ability to compare across borders. I think that's very useful in helping us develop our proposals for taxes here in Wales. 

The process surrounding the new taxes and the devolution of them was set out in the Wales Act 2014, and it is really important that we take this first opportunity to check if it is a system that is fit for purpose. Why do we not tell the UK Government exactly what we would do with the powers were we to have them? Well, that's because we really do need to consult widely. So, we can't tell the UK Government, for example, at what level we would set rates of tax or provide exact details as to how those taxes would be applied, because it would have to be subject to consultation. But the first stage, as I say, is to negotiate the Act, to transfer the relevant powers, and those discussions are ongoing. We hope to have a discussion with the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury after the final round of discussions between officials have taken place. I hope that that won't be too far off now.

The idea for the vacant land tax came about as a result of a call for evidence, which the previous finance Minister did, asking the people of Wales for their ideas for new taxes. He had more than 200 different taxes suggested to him, and the vacant land tax seemed like the right one to go with in the first instance, but there were another three that were narrowed down as areas that should be given some serious consideration, one of which was the tourism tax. So, we're currently looking at where it's been implemented elsewhere. The Scottish Government, for example, has committed to examining the arguments for and against a tourism tax there.

Edinburgh council has already demonstrated its support for tourism taxes and has consulted on introducing an Edinburgh transient visitor levy—67 per cent of respondents to that thought it should be introduced at the cost of £2 a night for accommodation. Venice has a different approach; they have an entry fee of up to £9 or €10 for short-stay tourists. In New Zealand, they're also looking at the potential for a new tourism tax, but their primary aim would be to cover the cost of improved infrastructure and conservation. So, we've been clear that, at least in the first instance, our proposals that we want to consult on would be for a tourism tax, to potentially be levied at a local basis, so a local authority could decide whether or not it's something that they would wish to pursue, and then obviously we'd want to see that money ploughed back into the tourism industry then, to continue to make those areas more and more attractive to tourists.

My colleague Vaughan Gething will be updating the Senedd in the new term on the work that's going on in terms of developing the social care levy proposals. I think this is an area where colleagues across the Chamber have a strong interest. We all recognise the serious challenges that are facing us with the increasing demand for social care, and the increasing costs of social care, and it's something where we're keen to share the information and our thinking with others, so that when we do come to setting our manifestos for next year, we're all able to do so in a well-informed way. So, there'll be a statement from Vaughan Gething in the new term, and then I'll be providing a further statement later on this year that looks at specifically the financial aspects of that.

Disposable plastics tax—that was another area that we're currently continuing to work, in the first instance, alongside the UK Government on, and then there was the final tax of—. I think I've covered all of our taxes, actually, that we're currently looking at. I know that Mark Reckless has a particular interest in land transaction tax, particularly at the higher rate for non-residential. As he says, we don't have enough evidence yet to have any idea about the impact of having set the higher rate at the level at which we have set it, but over the course of time we will obviously have more evidence, and we will always give some real thought to the impact of decisions that we make.

Of course, there are different reasons why businesses would seek to locate themselves and buy properties here in Wales, partly to do with the skills that we offer. Overall, land and properties are cheaper here in Wales, and that will all be part of the considerations that businesses make when they're considering where they locate themselves and which properties they buy. On the issue of the Welsh rates of income tax, Mark Reckless is right—this is a really big deal for Wales, and it probably doesn't get the attention that it deserves yet, but I think there's still lots of work to do in terms of communicating those messages with the public.