Taste of Tasmania patrons to pay 10pc surcharge as council struggles with event cost
Customers attending the next Taste of Tasmania festival will pay a 10 per cent surcharge on all purchases, after the Hobart City Council agreed to introduce a new payment system.
Patrons can use their own EFTPOS or credit cards, but anybody carrying cash will need to pre-load an official festival card. (Photo: Jessica Kidd: ABC News)
The new cashless method means customers can use their own eftpos and credit cards, or be provided with an official festival payment card.
The surcharge will then be passed on to the council.
The system will be trialled for one year, as the council attempts to make the event "cost neutral" within three to four years.
Acting Lord Mayor Ron Christie said it may lead to some price increases but the council would be able to keep entry free.
"Say they charge $10, you'll be able to get your card, whatever card you want to use ... go and order your mushrooms and instead of paying $10 you'll pay $11," he said.
"There will be a 10 per cent increase right across the board."
Alderman Christie said the idea had been well received by stallholders.
"They have accepted this, they have agreed to it, they actually offered us the idea," he said.
"They said, 'listen, we don't mind paying full rates for our site fees, and we don't mind the 10 per cent'."
The event costs the council about $900,000 to run over the seven days of the festival, which attracts up to 300,000 patrons.
Council not disclosing expected revenue
Alderman Christie said some stallholders made a lot of money during the Taste of Tasmania festival but he would not to say how much the new system would raise.
"Some stallholders turn over in the seven days what they would in a year so it's enormous the revenue ... they make," he said.
"We are spending ratepayers' money here and this is what it is all about.
"We want the ratepayers of Hobart to go to a free event, we don't want them to pay twice but we have to recoup the money that we are spending on behalf of ratepayers."
Regular stallholder Waji Spiby said the new system would not be fair on stalls which had a high turnover and had to pay the same site cost as a less popular neighbour.
He said he would have to pass on costs to customers and was assessing whether he would attend.
"It is a very expensive exercise at Taste and this year my fees will go up more than double," he said.
"I will have to really think strongly about whether I do it or not ... I have to have a discussion about whether this is a feasible thing to do this year."
Former stallholder Stuart Addison said producers had some concerns about how the festival is run.
"I think the concern is just the cost base for the traders," he said.
"You're talking, in some cases, over $15,000 for a small stall site.
"That's going to make it difficult in some cases for suppliers to make a dollar even if they are getting extra customers through."
Source: ABC News, July 14th 2015
