Green Tax bill submitted to parliament

The government has submitted a Bill of Amendment to the Tourism Act to the parliament to allow the imposition of $6 per tourist per day as Green Tax, on tourists staying at hotels excluding guest-houses in the Maldives.

The bill was submitted on behalf of the government by Nilandhoo MP Abdulla Khaleel.

The bill states that the imposition of Green Tax will begin on 1 November 2015.

The Green Tax was first announced as a measure to increase government income, by Minister of Finance Abdulla Jihad.

He said that the Green Tax would be imposed from next year onwards at the rate of $10 per tourist. This rate was later revised by the government.