Unless the Government accepted the case for a visitor levy in principal, there was no point starting detailed work on how it might be imposed. In 2012, it allowed Stewart Island to charge a $5 visitor levy, introduced in September 2013. Two years ago, the chamber sounded out Prime Minister John Key about a law change to allow a visitor levy. It has been more than a year in the making but a business case to the Government for a Queenstown visitor levy could still be months away. But Ms Lockhart said any consideration of how a visitor levy might be collected was not within the business case’s brief.

Source: Otago Daily Times August 07, 2016 18:00 UTC