Skye has a problem: it has become a victim of its own success as a tourist destination, and the some locals are unsurprisingly, suggesting that some taxpayers' money should be sent their way to try and help them sort things out. Others are talking about a "tourist tax".
Wait a minute though, how do those tourists get to Skye? Over the Skye Bridge of course. Surely it would be an easier solution to put a toll on the bridge and exempt residents from it. That way you'd get fewer tourists and the money raised could be put towards alleviating the problems caused by them.
Nothing so simple: the bridge was built under PFI and the resulting high tolls caused a revolt amongst the islanders which eventually resulted in the Scottish government buying out the operators of the bridge (who naturally made a large profit from it) and lifting the tolls. So it is unlikely that the tolls will be put back on the bridge any time soon.
Debate Magazine
