All the big shots of the tourism have recently identified fish hooks in the proposed international tourist tax which they are keen to alter before it is imposed.
The government is interested to bring in a $25 to $35 charge on all visitors from countries besides Australia and majority of Pacific Island nations to fund tourism amenities.
The tax will collect between $57 million to $80m every year (depending on the rate selected), which will be divided between tourism infrastructure and conservation activity.
As there is broad recognition of the said tax, representatives of the tourism sector say there is a danger in terms of confusion among visitors, the risk of them being double charged, one organization explaining that it won’t raise enough money and another is aiming a five-year limit on the charge.
Also, the submissions depict sharp differences between tourism groups over the best way to fund facilities.
Submissions to the government closed yesterday and the Tourism Export Council say that few visitors to Department of Conservation (DOC) land could be hit by multiple times.
Current DOC concessions have aimed group visitors for many years and the new tax imposition would further disadvantage visitors travelling in groups.
She explained that should the levy go ahead, the council is interested to see an evaluation of the current concessions paid by tour and coach operators to make sure that visitor contribution across the board is equitable.
