reprinted from the London Daily Telegraph
Tourist tax leak starts new row in countryside
By Jon Hibbs, Political Correspondent A leaked report urging tourist taxes on beauty spots and an end to planning controls on farmland plunged Tony Blair into a new countryside row last night. The proposals, from a team of civil servants, heralded the biggest rural changes for a generation. They mean that the Government would effectively abandon support for agriculture and encourage developers to build homes and leisure facilities. The tourist tax might take the form of a "penalty" on "honey-pot" areas to encourage people to visit more remote parts of the country instead. A Continental-style levy could be imposed on people staying overnight. Disclosure of the 200-page document added to the fears of countryside campaigners that the Government was out of step with rural Britain. It follows plans to ban foxhunting. Downing Street declined to comment on the report, which was said to be part of the
preparation for a rural white paper next year. |