Restaurant Association speaks on outdoor dining fee hikes

Hikes in outdoor dining fees are hitting already struggling hospitality businesses hard according to their Association. Yesterday, Checkpoint spoke to a Queenstown business owner who says his outdoor dining tax has gone from just over $3000 a year to more than $50,000. Queenstown Lakes District Council is now charging "market rates" of 30 percent of indoor rent. But it said while there was public consultation on the policy it didn't include actual fees. It also disputes the figures provided by the hospitality venue, saying it had been undercharged for several years due to an inaccurate calculation of the floor area. Tauranga council is charging venues based on the size of the outdoor area, but yesterday voted to waive the charges for the rest of the year and is offering a rebate for part of next year to acknowledge tough trading conditions. Restaurant Association president Mike Egan spoke to Lisa Owen.