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  3. Nicola Sturgeon’s speech last Tuesday setting out the Scottish government’s

Nicola Sturgeon’s speech last Tuesday setting out the Scottish government’s

游客2024-03-10  39
问题     Nicola Sturgeon’s speech last Tuesday setting out the Scottish government’s legislative programme for the year ahead confirmed what was already pretty clear. Scottish councils are set to be the first in the UK with the power to levy charges on visitors, with Edinburgh likely to lead the way.
    Tourist taxes are not new. The Himayalan kingdom of Bhutan has a longstanding policy of charging visitors a daily fee. France’s tax on overnight stays was introduced to assist thermal spa (温泉) towns to develop, and around half of French local authorities use it today.
    But such levies are on the rise. Moves by Barcelona and Venice to deal with the phenomenon of "over-tourism" through the use of charges have recently gained prominence. Japan and Greece are among the countries to have recently introduced tourist taxes.
    That the UK lags behind is due to our weak, by international standards, local government, as well as the opposition to taxes and regulation of our aggressively pro-market ruling party. Some UK cities have lobbied without success for the power to levy a charge on visitors. Such levies are no universal remedy as the amounts raised would be tiny compared with what has been taken away by central government since 2010. Still, it is to be hoped that the Scottish government’s bold move will prompt others to act. There is no reason why visitors to the UK, or domestic tourists on holiday in hotspots such as Cornwall, should be exempt from taxation—particularly when vital local services including waste collection, park maintenance and arts and culture spending are under unprecedented strain.
    On the contrary, compelling tourists to make a financial contribution to the places they visit beyond their personal consumption should be part of a wider cultural shift. Westerners with disposable incomes have often behaved as if they have a right to go wherever they choose with little regard for the consequences. Just as the environmental harm caused by aviation and other transport must come under far greater scrutiny, the social cost of tourism must also be confronted. This includes the impact of short-term lets on housing costs and quality of life for residents. Several European capitals, including Paris and Berlin, are leading a campaign for tougher regulation by the European Union. It also includes the impact of overcrowding, litter and the kinds of behaviour associated with noisy parties.
    There is no "one size fits all" solution to this problem. The existence of new revenue streams for some but not all councils is complicated, and businesses are often opposed, fearing higher costs will make them uncompetitive. But those places that want them must be given the chance to make tourist taxes work. [br] Both international and domestic visitors in the UK should pay tourist tax so as to________.
选项 A、elevate its tourism to international standards
B、improve the welfare of its maintenance workers
C、promote its cultural exchange with other nations
D、ease its financial burden of providing local services
答案 D
解析 由题干中的both international and domestic visitors定位至第四段第五句。事实细节题。第四段第五句指出，前往英国的游客或前往康沃尔等热点地区度假的国内游客没有理由免于征税——尤其是当垃圾回收、公园维护和艺术文化支出等当地至关重要的服务面临前所未有的压力时，所以征税的目的是缓解用于提供当地服务的财政负担，故答案为D)。文章中提到“国际标准”是在第四段第一句，是为了阐释英国旅游税征收方面落后于其他国家的原因，并未提到要提升旅游业的水平，故排除A)；第四段第五句提到公园维护等地方服务，但没有提到养护工人的福利，故排除B)；第五段第一句提到了“文化转型”，但并未提到与其他国家的文化交流，故排除C)。
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