# Green Party Proposes Bed Tax for Tourism Infrastructure > Green Party co-leaders announce bed tax to fund tourism infrastructure amid local council demands. - Title: Green Party Proposes Bed Tax for Tourism Infrastructure - Summary: Green Party co-leaders announce bed tax to fund tourism infrastructure amid local council demands. Green Party proposes bed tax for tourism infrastructure to… - Keywords: green party, bed tax, tourism policy, queenstown, marama davidson, chloe swarbrick, national leader, christopher luxon, councils, infrastructure, politics, news - Source: NZ Herald — https://nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/election-2026-greens-put-bed-tax-at-centre-of-tourism-policy/6LVC7BA5YJBFTG6IQ7AKL44WTY - Read time: 2 min - Topics: green party, bed tax, tourism policy, queenstown, marama davidson, chloe swarbrick, national leader, christopher luxon, councils, infrastructure, politics, news ## Green Party's Tourism Policy Green Party co-leaders Marama Davidson and Chlöe Swarbrick announce bed tax proposal to fund tourism infrastructure. > From Auckland [which also supports a bed tax] to Queenstown, mayors don’t care about central government politicians’ squabbles about whether a levy is a tax ## Queenstown Tourism Pressure Queenstown, a tourism hotspot with high visitor numbers, faces infrastructure strain from tourism demand. > We will give councils the ability to set the rate and design the levy best to fit their local circumstances ## Local Council Support Queenstown-Lakes, Mackenzie, Rotorua Lakes, Central Otago, and West Coast councils support bed tax proposal. > A non-binding referendum in 2019 showed 81% support for a bed tax in Queenstown ## National Leader's Stance National leader Christopher Luxon initially open to bed tax but later scrapped it due to campaign slogan of no new taxes. > He later announced a policy to give councils $400 million in revenue from the International Visitor Levy over four years ## Bed Tax Alternative Swarbrick argues bed tax is fairer than current infrastructure costs on local ratepayers during cost-of-living crisis. > We’re talking about a few dollars on top of people traveling around, and often times spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars to travel around ## National Register for Short-Term Accommodation Green Party wants national register for Airbnbs to help councils apply bed tax effectively. > No council should have to build a local register and run its own system when it’s central government who still disproportionately benefits from tourist spending ## Economic Package Proposal Green Party proposes $6 billion economic package promising 64,000 new jobs through innovation policy. > Greens propose $6b economic package promising 64,000 new jobs ## Infrastructure Funding Gap Local authorities with low ratepayer bases feel overburdened by tourism infrastructure demands. > Local authorities with low ratepayer bases have felt overburdened with the infrastructure demands of high tourist numbers ## Cost-of-Living Context Swarbrick links bed tax proposal to cost-of-living crisis and infrastructure deficit during election campaign. > I understand that that is, of course, extra cost, but I guess this is where the broader point of this election really comes back down to: the reality that not only is it a cost-of-living election, it’s also an election in which we have massive infrastructure deficit ## Policy Implementation Plan Green Party will give councils authority to set bed tax rates and design the levy to fit local needs. > We will ensure they have the tools to fund the infrastructure tourism requires ## National Economic Package Green Party's economic package aims to create 64,000 new jobs through innovation and tourism policies. > Greens propose $6b economic package promising 64,000 new jobs ## Tourism Infrastructure Funding Local councils seek bed tax to address infrastructure costs from high tourist numbers. > Somebody has to pay for that, and either we levy it fairly on those who are using it proportionally, or we also put in place tools such as wealth tax ## National Policy Shift Green Party shifts focus from national tax policy to local infrastructure funding through tourism. > They want the tools to fund the infrastructure tourism requires and we will ensure they have them ## Election Context Bed tax proposal is part of Green Party's broader economic strategy for the 2026 election. > I guess this is where the broader point of this election really comes back down to: the reality that not only is it a cost-of-living election, it’s also an election in which we have massive infrastructure deficit ## Local Council Demands Queenstown and other councils demand bed tax to address infrastructure costs from tourism. > Local authorities with low ratepayer bases have felt overburdened with the infrastructure demands of high tourist numbers ## Policy Implementation Green Party will implement bed tax with local council input to ensure fair distribution of costs. > We will give councils the ability to set the rate and design the levy best to fit their local circumstances ## Key takeaway Green Party proposes bed tax for tourism infrastructure to address local council funding needs during election campaign.