Scott Mann has blasted Cornwall Council’s Water-based Activity Licensing Scheme, also known as the ‘Surf Tax’, after a Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed that the local authority has only generated £32,000 from licenses, in a move which the MP has branded “immoral” and “regressive”.
The FOI response revealed that since the Scheme’s inception, Cornwall Council has generated £31,746 from 18 licenses.
Under the Scheme, which was introduced by the Liberal Democrat / Independent Unitary Authority, water-based activity outlets which operate on Council-managed beaches are charged £72.15 per craft.
Surf schools, among others, in North Cornwall have complained that the license should be per outlet, not per board.
When asked how much the Scheme cost to implement, the Council said it had not been itemised “and was absorbed within the workload of existing Council officers”.
Reacting to the figures, Scott Mann said:
“This surf tax is quite frankly immoral and regressive. Businesses which offer water-based activities, such as surfing, kayaking and canoeing, are vital for water safety and education, and this tax hinders their ability to offer these vital services.
“The tax is also very unfair because it only applies to surf schools which operate on beaches that are managed by the Council, and the owners must be very angry when they hear about the millions of pounds that are squandered by this Council on new buildings, bus lanes and Italian trees.
“This tax is evidently not an effective revenue raiser and should be scrapped immediately.”
