Cruise Industry Head Tax Could Harm Caribbean Tourism Warns Expert
A proposed US$20 head tax on the Caribbean cruise line industry could be very
detrimental to the region's tourism trade warned President of the Florida Caribbean
Cruise Association Michelle Paige last week. "Taxation is a disincentive to travel. Taxation is never the way to go, especially
in this economic climate," Paige told the Caribbean Media Corporation in an
interview on September 16 adding that the new fee would compare very unfavourably
to Mexico's $3 head tax. According to the Antigua Sun, the head tax is part of a proposal put forward
by CARICOM ministers to finance a development fund, though it appears that the
measure does not have the unanimous backing of all regional governments. "Prime Minister Douglas of St. Kitts, has indicated that he is not in favour
of the proposed tax, Minister Bush from the Cayman Islands, Commissioner Highlander
of St. Maarten, and other numerous destinations have indicated that they are
not in favour of the tax," Paige claimed in the CMC report. According to Paige, the proposals at present have only reached the dicussion
phase, and nothing concrete seems to been agreed, though she added that whilst
individual nations are free to impose a head tax, a uniform regional tax would
in fact be illegal. .
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