Inverclyde Council leader welcomes cruise ship levy plans

The new law would give local authorities the power to put on a charge on each passenger who stops off in their town or city.

Finance secretary Shona Robison told MSPs earlier this month that the Scottish Government was looking to bring in legislation before the end of the current parliament in May 2026.

Seventy nine liners and 110,000 passengers docked in Greenock this year with the final arrival, the Regal Princess berthing on September 30.

READ MORE: Inverclyde hails benefits of visiting cruise ship passengers

Mr McCabe told the Tele: “It’s important we get on with this as we have been debating it for the past two years.

"It would be good if they could set a firm timescale for it to become law.

"We have been arguing for some time now for discretionary powers to levy a charge on cruise ships and do not see the need for further delays."

Mr McCabe says the cruise ship levy should have been introduced alongside the visitor levy, which became law in May, and allows councils to add a charge to overnight accommodation such as hotels, B&B and holiday lets.

However, he is against a proposal from the Scottish Greens to have a further levy imposed according to the size of the cruise ship which he described as overly complex.

Mr McCabe added: "The cruise ship levy is a relatively straightforward piece of legislation and I do not understand the need for any further delays"

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The council leader says any passenger charge could be collected by the local port authority and then passed on to the council for an administration fee.

Should the levy become law by 2026 he however thinks it unlikely they'll be able to start charging ships until after the 2027 local elections.

No decision has yet been taken on how much each passenger would be charged.

Councillor McCabe believes the luxury boats bring a financial benefit to both Greenock and Inverclyde.

He wants the levy fees reinvested to attract the high-spending tourist passengers into the town and surrounding area.

At present many prefer to take organised and pre booked trips to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, the Trossachs and Loch Lomond.

There have also been concerns that Greenock and surrounding areas do not see the full benefit of the cruise trade.

A public consultation on the levy took place in Greenock at the start of the month.

Plans for a levy also have the backing of the Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities. (COSLA)

Mr McCabe added: "I don't believe it would deter cruise ships from visiting Greenock as has been suggested.

"There are ports across Europe that impose a levy and that has not had a detrimental affect on the numbers of cruise ships.

"Any charge would be a fairly modest amount compared to what passengers pay for their cruises.".

However there have been complaints from port authorities that a future levy could put off cruise liners from visiting.

Scottish Greens MSP Ross Greer said: "I was proud that the Greens secured the Scottish Government’s commitment to introduce a cruise ship levy. This small charge could raise millions of pound to invest in port towns like Greenock." 

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A Scottish Government spokesperson added: "The Programme for Government commits Ministers to undertake work on a cruise ship levy 

"This is in response to calls from COSLA, MSPs, councils and others. 

"The Scottish Government will now engage with local authorities, the cruise ship industry and others to develop more detailed proposals.”