Conservative councillor Roger Harding, for Newlyn and Mousehole, said that it was bad timing to consider introducing a tax that could deter tourists. "If you speak to people who are down here on holiday, they will say that on top of the extra money they are paying for their fuel to get down here, they are already paying extra taxes in the form of high car parking charges," he said. "If you are paying premium rates to park your car for a day on the beach and then have to pay more when you go out in the evening, it soon starts to add up. I would also say that before people start opening their mouths, they ought to see how much it will cost to collect the money."
Liberal Democrat Councillor for Looe West and Lansallos Edwina Hannaford said: "The costs involved in just collecting it will just create more bureaucracy, let alone policing a compulsory scheme would be prohibitive. I am surprised such a senior officer in Cornwall Council even suggested the idea when it hasn't even been discussed by members. It's a barmy idea and would be a PR disaster for the Duchy at a time when Cornwall's tourism industry is fighting to retain its market share against other UK destinations, let alone Europe."
Breage independent councillor John Keeling said: "I have got to say we seem to be lurching from one PR disaster to another and I wonder where it is going to end!
"The holiday trade in Cornwall is a delicate balance of tourism and providing the services to support the needs of this vital industry. The weather alone is taxing enough at times and can spell the difference between a successful season and a disaster for local businesses during the summer season. We want to encourage tourism not penalise them by taxing them more. I think the only thing we are taxing here at the moment is my patience and that of the public. Cornwall Council should be robustly challenging central government to allow all the revenue generated from business rates to be retained by local authorities instead of the measly amount redistributed after we have incurred all the cost of collection."
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