6. Motion to annul the Non-Domestic Rating (Amendment of Definition of Domestic Property) (Wales) Order 2022

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:11 pm on 6 July 2022.

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Photo of James Evans James Evans Conservative 4:11, 6 July 2022

I do believe that Airbnbs are a problem, but there are genuine hospitality businesses that are going to be affected by these changes.

I note that the Welsh Government are looking at exemptions, but I don't think they go far enough. What about holiday lets that are not in holiday hotspots, that only have very short tourism seasons? How are we going to cope with that? What about the businesses that can't operate all year round? Because some of them don't have adequate heating in the cold winter months. Welsh Government encouraged farm businesses to diversity and now Welsh Government have pulled the rug from under them without—. What about the holiday lets that are used for charity groups? Have you thought about that? I don't think the Welsh Government have. Your list of exemptions, as others are muttering by my side, could go on and on. 

The fundamental problem here is we're putting genuine holiday businesses and livelihoods under threat, and they are being punished—punished—by this Government for this Government not building enough houses. That is the problem here, and I have seen in my constituency holiday lets coming back on the market as people are offloading them for £400,000. I'd like to know how the Minister can think that local young people can magic up £400,000, because I can assure you that people in my constituency can't. 

We use HMRC figures in many other areas, like for our mileage rate allowance. Why can we not use the 105-day threshold for holiday businesses? This non-domestic rating is death by a thousand cuts to our hospitality industry. The announcement this week from the First Minister and Adam Price to put more regulation, more bureaucracy, more costs on our businesses, hurting the industry when it needs to be getting more support from this Government, not less—. So, in your co-operation agreement, when you're working together, I think it's about time that you both stepped up, supported our businesses, supported our hospitality industry, because that's what our country wants, and it doesn't need this Government taxing our tourism sector to death. Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd.