A new survey suggests a HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) raid on hotels and other tourist accommodation would be unpopular with the British public.Fresh polling commissioned by UKHospitality has revealed overwhelming public resistance to the Labour Government’s proposed tax on overnight accommodation, with opposition outstripping support by more than two to one.The survey of over 10,000 adults across Great Britain found that 56 per cent reject the planned holiday tax, whilst just 24 per cent back the measure.Respondents indicated they are nearly ten times more likely to vote against an MP who endorses the tax than to reward them for doing so, with 47 per cent stating such support would make them less inclined to back their representative.Analysis using multi-level regression and poststratification modelling shows that across 200 of the 411 constituencies Labour captured in 2024, the number of former supporters who would turn against their representative over this issue exceeds the sitting MP’s majority.Four in 10 Labour voters from the last election indicated they would be less likely to re-elect an MP backing the levy.Among 2024 Conservative voters, 45 per cent expressed similar reluctance, alongside 40 per cent of Liberal Democrats, 47 per cent of Greens, and 53 per cent of Reform UK supporters.Those struggling financially are most opposed to the measure, with 62 per cent of people who find it difficult to make ends meet rejecting the proposal.LATEST DEVELOPMENTSTax raid FAILS as councils face losing £383million despite charge on second homesDWP paying businesses £3,000 to hire young people amid youth unemployment surgeState pension ‘shock’ as ONE MILLION retirees ‘dragged into tax system’ under HMRC ruleNearly one in five said any cost increase would deter them from booking English breaks, rising to 57 per cent if prices climbed by £50 and 85 per cent should the levy add £100 to their trip.Economic analysis by Oxford Economics, also commissioned by UKHospitality, projects that a five per cent tax modelled on Edinburgh’s scheme launching in July 2026 would reduce gross domestic product (GDP) by £2.1billion.Furthermore, the research suggests introducing a sweeping tax would eliminate 33,000 jobs, and cost the Treasury £688million in lost receipts by 2030.Allen Simpson, the chief executive of UKHospitality, said: “This polling should be a wake-up call for every MP tempted to back the holiday tax. It is opposed by a majority of their constituents, it would deter millions from holidaying in England, and it would hit hardest the very families the Government says it wants to help.”In her Spring Statement, the Chancellor said being able to pay for a holiday should never be too much to ask, but this tax puts a holiday out of reach for many.”Voters are nearly 10 times more likely to punish their MP for backing this tax than to thank them for it. That is a political signal no MP should ignore. The public’s verdict is clear and decisive: stop the holiday tax. Let’s keep holidays relaxing, not taxing.”Reform UK’s shadow chancellor Robert Jenrick launched a fierce attack on the proposal, declaring: “There appears to be nothing that Labour won’t tax. This will be the death knell for many seaside resorts and will stop up to one in five Brits holidaying in England.” He pledged that no Reform UK mayors would implement the levy, adding: “We want people to be able to have fun and enjoy themselves without being clobbered by the taxman.”
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