This month, I voted to support, and stand with, the Welsh Tourism Industry in the Senedd by voting against the Tourism Tax.
The industry, already hit so hard by the pandemic, is being destroyed by the Welsh Labour Government.
We want and need to be encouraging people to stay in Wales and to take staycations, not only for environmental reasons, but to stimulate our economy and to protect local businesses. So, at a time of economic crisis, when many in our tourism sector have been battered by the pandemic and the economic crisis we need to support our businesses.
This tax will punish the tourism sector and the money raised by this Government doesn't even intend to go back into the tourism sector. This is a tax that industry experts such as Jim Jones, the north Wales tourism chief, deride, in saying:
'A tax on tourism would be a hugely regressive step that would damage an industry that is already reeling after being battered by the pandemic'.
We cannot adopt an approach that has been proven to have a detrimental effect in many countries across the world.
We must have clarity over who would be exempt from the tourism tax, and transparency around where the money goes.