The IMF believes taxes on tourism in Barbados are necessary

• Van Selm, the person leading the IMF mission to Barbados, commented on the recent tax measures imposed on the tourism sector, telling Barbados TODAY he agreed with Government that they were necessary.
• In addition to a range of levies on hotel room rates depending on the accommodation type, and a subsequent increase in those rates, the hotel sector is in line to pay an increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) from 7.5% to 10%, as of January next year.
• As a result of the four-year, US$290 million IMF-funded programme, travelers leaving Barbados on international trips have also been slapped with a new US$70 departure tax, while those traveling regionally pay US$35.
• Van Selm noted that a country should not have its main industry “contributing next to nothing to tax credit”.

(Source: Barbados Today)