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Voters would punish MPs who back the holiday tax

May 4, 2026

A landmark poll reveals the public's attitudes to the Government's proposed holiday tax.

1
Public opposition
UKHospitality’s poll of over 10,000 Britons finds that more than twice as many people oppose the Government’s proposed holiday tax (56%) as those who support it (24%).
2
Politically unpopular
Poll finds that voters are nearly 10 times more likely to punish an MP who backs the holiday tax than back them at the ballot box, threatening the Government’s majority in 200 seats.
3
Constituency opposition
MRP modelling shows a majority oppose the tax in 574 of 632 GB constituencies.
4
Increasing the cost of living
One-in-five Brits would be stopped from booking a holiday in England as a result of any increase to the cost of a break from the holiday tax, at a time when the cost-of-living is hitting harder than ever.

New polling from UKHospitality reveals the scale of public opposition to the Government’s proposed holiday tax, with voters warning they will punish MPs at the ballot box if the tax is introduced.

The polling of over 10,000 adults across Great Britain finds that more than twice as many people oppose the Government’s proposed holiday tax (56%) as those who support it (24%).

The Government is proposing allowing mayoral authorities in England to impose a holiday tax on the cost of an overnight stay. Such a tax would hit families hardest and is expected to add more than £100 to the cost of a two-week break.

Voters are nearly 10 times more likely to reject an MP who supports the holiday tax than back them. Nearly half (47%) said they would be less likely to vote for their existing MP if they supported the tax, compared with just 5% who said it would make them more likely to back them.

The polling, which includes multi-level regression and poststratification (MRP) modelling, reveals that in 200 of the 411 seats that Labour won in 2024, the number of previous Labour supporters who would be less likely to vote for their MP over their support for the tax exceeds the MP’s 2024 majority. 40% of Labour voters in 2024 said they would be less likely to re-elect an MP who supported the tax.

The warning also cuts across the political spectrum: 45% of Conservative 2024 voters said they would be less likely to re-elect an MP who supported the tax, alongside 40% of Liberal Democrats, 47% of Greens, and 53% of Reform UK voters.

Opposition to the tax is sharpest among people already feeling affected by the rising cost of living. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of people who “struggle to make ends meet” oppose the holiday tax. 18% of Brits would be stopped from booking a holiday in England by any increase in cost from the new tax. That rises to a majority (57%) if the tax increased the cost of a holiday by £50 and to 85% if the tax added up to £100 to the cost of a trip.

This impact on holidaymakers would be stark, with almost three-quarters (73%) saying a holiday tax would stop them holidaying in England, reduce the number of trips they take, or reduce how much they can spend while on trips. 39% said they would be more likely to holiday abroad instead, rising to 48% among the highest-income households.

Allen Simpson, Chief Executive, UKHospitality

Allen Simpson, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said: “This polling should be a wake-up call for every MP tempted to back the holiday tax. It is opposed by a majority of their constituents, it would deter millions from holidaying in England, and it would hit hardest the very families the Government says it wants to help.

“In her Spring Statement, the Chancellor said being able to pay for a holiday should never be too much to ask, but this tax puts a holiday out of reach for many.

“Voters are nearly 10 times more likely to punish their MP for backing this tax than to thank them for it. That is a political signal no MP should ignore. The public’s verdict is clear and decisive: stop the holiday tax. Let’s keep holidays relaxing, not taxing.”

The polling follows economic modelling by Oxford Economics, commissioned by UKHospitality, which found that a 5% holiday tax – the model being introduced in Edinburgh in July 2026 – would hit holidaymakers in England with a £1.6 billion tax rise, shrink GDP by £2.2 billion, cost 33,000 jobs, and leave the Treasury £688 million worse off in lost tax receipts by 2030.

UKHospitality is calling on the Government to stop the holiday tax and protect the great British holiday. It is encouraging consumers and holidaymakers to visit https://stoptheholidaytax.uk/ and write to their MP, urging them to oppose the tax.