New political party would slap 500% tax on second homes and wage war on “saturation tourism”

A political party has promised to wage war on “saturation tourism” as it announces plans to put a candidate forward on Anglesey in next year’s Senedd elections.

Gwyn Wigley Evans, leader of the Gwlad party, also said they would slap a 500% tax on second home owners given the chance, and that reforming Wales’ tourism industry will be one of the party’s key aims.

Launched in the summer of 2018 as Ein Gwlad, the pro-Welsh independence, pro-Brexit but “neither left nor right” party announced its plan to stand in Anglesey in the wake of revelations that a Conservative MP from an English constituency is living on the island during lockdown.

A 2018 report found that Anglesey is the UK’s most tourism-dependent local authority, attracting almost 1.71 million annual visitors.

Tourism is the largest sector on the island and, before the lockdown, it contributed £304m to its economy each year.

Mr Wigley Evans said: “This blatant colonialism and exploitation of Wales’ resources has got to end.

“We’ve got to completely change the whole idea of what ‘Visit Wales’ means. We like visitors – they come here and see what’s here, and then they go home.

“What we don’t like is the ‘flood’, which brings with it devastation, be that in Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), beaches, pathways, even roads etc.

“And of course the biggest problem of the ‘flood’ is the blight of second homes.

“It’s not a problem unique to Wales, as the Lake District and Cornwall suffer in the same way. Indeed, St Ives have decided recently to ban second homes entirely.

“But, here in Wales, we now need new Welsh answers to these deep-seated problems.”

Among the party’s aims is a 500% council tax on second homes and the implementation of a tourist tax like that seen in some European cities.

The party says it would re-invest the income in local services and help locals onto the housing ladder.

In 2017, Anglesey council became one of the first authorities in Wales to introduce a levy on second or holiday home owners, with the intention that at least some of the 25% premium could help local first-time buyers gain a foothold on the housing ladder.

In neighbouring Gwynedd, meanwhile, a 50% levy is in operation.

Also promised by Gwlad is a move away from “cheap and cheerful tourism” to “upmarket tourism”, which the party says would result in fewer visitors spending more money and more Welsh-owned and Welsh-staffed accomodation.

“Everybody knows that the current tourism model here is unsustainable,” said Mr Evans.

“Only the greedy who don’t care about Wales can defend the tourism Wales is suffering today.”

Rhun ap Iorwerth, the island’s current MS, who plans to stand again next May, said he welcomed the prospect of candidates coming forward as part of the democratic process.

He said he had recently held “positive” discussions with the island’s tourism associations to identify ideas for the future of the industry.

Describing second home ownership as “not tourism”, he said there was a need for people to realise the real worth of tourism and for locals to “take ownership” of its potential benefits for the local economy.

By Gareth Williams – Local Democracy Reporter