Skelton clarifies proposed increase in departure tax, resident still disappointed
BVI News Correspondent - Tuesday, March 5th, 2013 at 12:32 PM
Social Development Minister Ronnie Skelton. *File photo. Credit: Andre ‘Shadow’ Dawson
Social Development Minister Ronnie Skelton says members of the public have misinterpreted him when he spoke in the House of Assembly last year in relation to the need to increase the departure tax for persons travelling to the US Virgin Islands.
Speaking at the ‘Government on the Road’ meeting in Carrot Bay, Minister Skelton said he was not referring to people living in the BVI.
He said because of the problems with airlift to the territory, visitors to the BVI have not been using the TB Lettsome Airport, but instead have been using the territory’s ports for departure.
Hence, he said it was necessary to increase the departure tax at these ports of entry.
“I am the one who mentioned it and I never talked about the local people. I said and I will say it again, we had 350,000 tourists coming through Beef Island, they have shifted to coming through the US Virgin islands because our airlift is not sufficient from wherever they are coming from, so we have to get our departure tax from these people.
“How do we go about doing that? It’s not about you. You’re going to get more than your $15 from this government or from any government as a local person. We can’t as a people just look at ourselves only, you got to look at the country sometimes because we can get a lot more from the country if we make the country stronger.
“If we allow the country to get weak, we all going to be weak, so it was not about you, it was not about me paying $15 or $20 to go to St. Thomas, it was not about taxing the local people. It was how do we go about getting our departure tax from these people who shifted from the airport at Beef Island to the seaport,” Skelton said.
Skelton’s clarification came in response to a concerned citizen at the meeting who said government should be taxing businesses instead of the poor in the BVI.
The resident said she was upset when the Minister made the suggestion in the House that the departure tax for persons travelling to St. Thomas was to go up by $15 to $20 which she said will make it very difficult for poor people to afford traveling.
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40 Comments
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Ronni boy U geting some licks! Be Damm if U do! Its Damm if U dont do!
The Minister is careful to hide his meaning: everybody pay the tax, local or no. He is quick to pick our pockets, but where is there any sign of government trying to be frugal and live on a budget like we? No, we have empty green houses, millions of dollars in empty resort and chef school, studies for a medical school when we can’t even build hospital without putting windows on backwards, arrest yacht for no potty tank when we flush the whole island into the sea and Picko say we can get rid of expats and get rich from fishing! These people are mad, and I talking about VIP and NDP, same greedy foolishness. I am sick of the whole bunch.
These caribbean islands will tax themselves out of the tourist business, right now it is 70% cheaper including airfares to spend a week in Dominican republic than any other island, and when Cuba opens up to Americans god help you guys.
Please you have no clue about Tourism. What is there to do in Cuba and DR besides the bars, beaches and a few historic sites? The BVI is very unique and will ALWAYS attract the boaters and they are the ones who spend the real money in Tourism. The waters are number one in the world for sailing so you can stop there with your nonsense. We just need to clean up the place, keep crime at a minimum and work on ‘service’ and we’re good. We don’t need millions coming here every year, just enough quality people who will enjoy the place, return, spread the word and make a big impact economically. Let the herds of flock looking for all-inclusive cheap shit go to DR and Cuba.
Have you been to Cuba or the DR? Not all tourist are looking for water. there is water all around the world. People want to experience culture, relaxation. they want to feel good about the place. sometimes we make ignorant comments about other caribbean islands we have never visited and it makes us look foolish. You sound really ignorant.
This is the reason I don’t come home it’s too expensive to travel right there Tortola boat fare is darn near $60.00 per person not to talk about the increase on D tax… So Mr. Skelton think about it decrease in revenues.
All of the politicians are out of touch with the common man. . . Money is scarce for the common man and prices of everything just keep going up. The rich in the BVI do not notice or care how the majority of the population is struggling just to pay bills and feed their families. Why don’t the NDP grasp the desperate contraction in the BVI economy? Why do they think they can keep sucking money off the already indigent majority population of the BVI?
But the common man want Government to do everything for them. Where will the money come from? That’s the question nobody is asking.
The BVI government has been wasting money for years upon years upon years. Maintaining the infrastructure and embarking upon projects that are beneficial to the people of the territory, should have been what they were doing with the people’s tax money all these years. And still they refuse to get wise. Placing the burden of their mismanagement and waste on the backs of the already bowed people.
how about government ministers pay 20 and we pay 10 seeing they always on the go
Using Ronnie’s rationale why not increase the departure tax on tourists to $40 at the airport and the ferry terminals. That will more than double the tax revenue and ensure that all government officials will have black Suburbans to drive on personal business. In a few years when the tourist visits drop off by half we can raise the departure tax again to make up difference.
The Government is desperate for cash to support its lavish lifestyle, fancy cars and expensive offices. They see departure tax as a good source regardless of who it hurts.
Just increase it to $10. that will be an extra $1000000 in revenue for the govt.
Will the cruise ship passengers have to pay it? They “depart” just like us long term visitors who contribute a lot more per day to the BVI economy. An extra $10 is not going to kill the long term tourist trade but it is another nail in the coffin.
When the airport departure fee was increased to $20 it was intended to help pay for the new facilities to improve air service. No significant investment has been made in the ferry facilities. The ferries themselves are dying of old age and mismanagement. I would gladly pay if it meant a reliable clean and safe ferry system and an efficient clearance process but not if it is just another way to suck a few more bucks into the general fund.
Third world countries all over the world charge a departure tax that has to be paid by the traveller at the airport or port. First world countries charge the carrier, and it is included in the ticket price.
Do we aspire to be first or third world?
When nobody is leaving, because nobody is coming anymore, after their disgusting ferry experience and new value added extra Ronnie tax insult – what is the next big idea?
I do not agree with a hike in the departure tax. Your idea Minister Skelton will bring hardship on people who are already struggling and poor. Have you notice what the minimum wages is on Tortola about $4.00 an hour as compared to other parts of the world. I visited Tortola recently and I am still in shock on the price of food, gas and other things needed for survival. Better check the wages VS the cost of living. I am from Tortola but I will never come back to live there. I live in Texas and the minimum wages is $7.95 and hour but the cost of living is a thousand time less than Tortola. That’s what need fixing.
Whether VIP/NDP or IDP it does not matter when it comes to politrickians..This is what they do. They create laws to steal from one people to give to another(preferable themselves and their buddies, and shut up the public with a little hush money). All their laws are geared towards extraction/extortion. Think about it, why are people so into politics? Broke people go into politics and then in a short space of time they building big houses. Never met a broke politician yet. These are the ones who steal retirements and pension by borrowing, promising(lol), lying and taxing. Ever seen a politician pray? If they do to what god? Money?..LMAO!
Lousy ferry service,exorbitant airfares,sewage in the streets, lousy customer service and now increased departure tax?? It is becoming more and more evident that the BVI wants to solve their problems on the backs of tourists. Personally, I’m getting tired of supporting the BVI economy and not getting value for my money.
I’m going to write to the USVI Government and strongly urge them to implement an arrival tax for BVI residents. Fair is fair.
The departure tax that one pays should be commensurate with the quality of the facility that is in use. Try West End and Road Town for size. Ronnie needs to go sit down.
Proposing proposing. Nobody speaking about increasing our “flipping minimum WAGES” to meet these demands of high cost in revenues…. LOOK like NDP wants high rate of poverty and high crime rate or maybe civil duress to broke-out in the BVI
Skelton eyes brown because he full of cht
Ronnie single-handedly crippled this country starting from (a)the days of the generators to (b)bad decision makings at BVIEC (c) to the bad decision of choosing the hospital contractor (d)now to this crippling departure tax (e)and a disasterous mandatory health scheme lurking over the horizon……this man going to drown us in debts
lmao do you listen to yourself? wow.
and he always gets away with it
Ronnie is a waste of time. He bancrupt us with his on going Santo Domingo Hospital construction project and now come with more lies to try to tell us what he meant when he said what he said. Ronnie you are not the only person with brains.
all ndp got to do is lower the consultancy fees for those contracts that they’ve given out and we good to go
The explanation given does not make anything easier or helpfulfor the local or people traveling briefly from Tortola to St Thomas.Is different depature fee going to be charged for people in this category? Leave the fee at $5 as it is.
It makes sense if you read it. Locals/Residents pay the current fee. Visitors pay the increased fee. How much more simpler than that you need it. It is happening in other countries as we speak.
This is another hardship for people travelling from Tortola to St Thomas on a day trip after paying between $50and $60 for a trip .This your increase in departure fee will raise what they are going to pay to between $70 and $80.This is too much and unfair,it should be left at $5.Let those people who can and ready to travel by air pay $20, whch all of us will pay one time or the other when we fall in this category.
LEARN TO READ!
everybody want government to assist with everything. post office in carrot bay, market for farmers, water for farmers, help for fishermen, help for contractors, help for elderly, help with health issues, help with schools, help with scholarship, help with land issues but nobody want to pay a damn dime more to assist. where all dis money coming from? u dont want the cruise pier developed, dont want airport developed, dont want hotels, dont want foreign investors, nothing to make a dollar but youw ant to help spend it. i can never understand the mentality of bvi people never ever ever. it is mind boggling. govt must help wid everything but nobody want to help govt collect money. the only money govt makes is from taxes. do the math.
I guess u are a millionaire!!!!
That’s why people are not travelling through the airport as much. The tax is too high! The fares to PR are too high!
Thats ndp for you…Flipflopping all over the place
While I agree that we have to look at other sources of revenue, I am interested in hearing how our government will raise the departure taxes without doing so across board rather than having one fee for residents and another for tourists. This seems to be what the Minister was hinting though I may be wrong.
Thats exctly what he is saying. It can be done. When I go to St. Kitts with friends from there, they pay one fee departure and I have to pay more. They charge when you show your passports.
OK! If this is the case then I don’t see why increasing the fee as a means of bringing in additional much needed government revenue should be a problem. We will all benefit from this additional revenue.
Please borrow good example from the appropriate places. Some countries may be practicing 2 tiers of airport tax, no one wants to bother to know if tourists are reacting to it or not. The bottom line is, the tourist may take you up and write you off as unfriendly destination. Lets not gain $10.00 and loose $100 as it will amount to walking with our heads
ThisElectrical engineer got his prioroties mix up. This will affect everyone travelling and anyone who think different must be sniffing something funny.
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