COULD visitors to the Island be charged a tax to help contribute to the Isle of Wight Council's income?

The council has said it is in discussions to introduce an Island tax — charging those coming to the Island a small fee to generate some of the authority's lost income.

New Labour councillor, Richard Quigley, asked in the council's corporate scrutiny committee yesterday (Tuesday) if the Alliance administration had considered introducing a charge on journeys to the Island to help generate some of the significant amounts of money needed.

He said there may be some merit in introducing an infrastructure fee for car journeys that start on the mainland and also adding it to tickets for events such as the Isle of Wight Festival.

Cllr Quigley said he could not see why anyone would disagree with the idea.

Cllr Jonathan Bacon, cabinet member for environment and heritage, said he was already in discussions with directors about it but would welcome Cllr Quigley's views in discussions.

Expanding further on the concept after the meeting, Cllr Quigley said the council has been in income deficit for many years, with government funding cut by £90m in the last ten years and with the impact of the pandemic, previous investment strategies are not assured to pay off.

Also as a result of the Covid pandemic, vehicle journeys to the Island have increased as more tourists choose to holiday in the UK, instead of heading abroad.

Cllr Quigley said: "I do not see any issue in charging a £1 or £1.50 fee on vehicles starting their journeys on the mainland.

"You are looking at several millions of pounds."

While Cllr Quigley said it may not be the end of all the Island's ills but if we were not careful residents would be left responsible for all the infrastructure wear and tear caused by tourists.

Residents and people leaving the Island would be exempt but he did not want people pretending to be Islanders to avoid paying it.

He said: "I think it will get a lot of support from residents and depending on how it is marketed, I don't think anyone else will notice.

"If the ferry companies become that bothered, they can reduce their fees by £1.50."