The new law would give local authorities the power to put on a charge on each passenger who stops off in their town or city. Finance secretary Shona Robison told MSPs earlier this month that the Scottish Government was looking to bring in legislation before the end of the current parliament in May 2026. Seventy nine liners and 110,000 passengers docked in Greenock this year with the final arrival, the Regal Princess berthing on September 30.
Mr McCabe told the Tele: “It’s important we get on with this as we have been debating it for the past two years. "It would be good if they could set a firm timescale for it to become law. "We have been arguing for some time now for discretionary powers to levy a charge on cruise ships and do not see the need for further delays.
" Mr McCabe says the cruise ship levy should have been introduced alongside the visitor levy, which became law in May, and allows councils to add a charge to overnight accommodation such as hotels, B&B and holiday lets. However, he is against a proposal from the Scottish Greens to have a further levy imposed according to the size of the cruise ship which he described as overly complex. Mr McCabe added: "The cruise ship levy is a relatively straightforward piece of legislation and I do not understand the need for any further delays" The council leader says any passenger charge could be collected by the local port authority and then passed on to the council for an administration fee.
Should the levy become law by .