Cruise ships docking in Scotland could be liable for a new environmental tax.
It has been proposed by the Green Party to meet the “twin challenges” of harmful pollutants and the impacts of overcrowding on small coastal communities.
The Scottish Green Party is in coalition with the governing Scottish National Party.
The Greens’ circular economy minister Lorna Slater announced the cruise ship tax proposal during its party’s conference.
Slater, who is the Scottish Green co-leader, said the aim is to encourage the use of less polluting ships.
“We will work with our partners in local government to empower councils to charge visiting cruise ships a levy.”
“It will mean communities hosting cruise ships get the investment they deserve, and our aim would also be to encourage greener ships.”
A typical ship generates carbon emissions equal to 12,000 cars, Slater says.
“Operators have been allowed to get away with polluting for too long.”
There are more than a dozen cruise ports in regular use across Scotland and its islands, however several are in small communities which can be easily overwhelmed during ship visits.
In 2019, more than 800,000 cruise passengers visited Scottish ports.
No further details have been disclosed yet regarding the fee or when it will become effective.
