AS I write this, councillors in Edinburgh are voting on whether to implement Scotland’s first tourist tax.

The Visitor Levy, as it is formally known, is a Green idea. It has been championed by Green councillors for more than a decade and it was Green MSPs that won the commitment to grant councils levy powers.

The idea is simple. Everyone who visits Glasgow benefits, in some way, from its public services, but they don’t contribute to them directly.

That is magnified for the big events that Glasgow has made a name for hosting, like the Commonwealth Games, COP26, or the sports finals and the biggest gigs at venues like Hampden and the Hydro.

By adding a small charge to the cost of overnight........

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