5% From Next Friday

STR Unpacked · Jul 16, 2026 · 1m · transcript

The UK gets its first statutory tourist tax next Friday. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

From 24 July, Edinburgh charges a 5% visitor levy on every paid overnight stay:

→ Applies to short lets, self-catering and aparthotels, not just hotels

→ Charged on the first 5 nights, on the accommodation cost before VAT

→ Operators collect it. First quarterly returns land this autumn

→ Below the VAT threshold? You're still liable, and the levy counts toward your threshold calculation

And Edinburgh is just the opener:

→ Glasgow: 5% from January 2027, already covering bookings made since April this year

→ Aberdeen: 7% from April…