Originally Posted by
Midships
As reported in the local press only about 40% of tourists are paying it and so far as I am aware it remains a voluntary payment.
.....and with seven million international tourist arrivals the expected this year, a 40% take will raise USD30million or so. Not so bad as a bonus to filter through government officials.
Mahendra Jaya, the current governor, was previously in charge of the islands police force: an organisation not exactly famous for fiscal probity.
But greed is hard to curb: the rumour is that the tax is set to rise.