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Should cruise passengers pay BVI’s environmental levy?

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Former Junior Minister of Trade and Economic Development, Shereen Flax-Charles, has once again raised the question of imposing the $10 environmental levy on cruise ship passengers.

She made the suggestion during the recently concluded Tourism Summit, which was hosted for the first time by the Virgin Islands Government.

“Why are we not charging the cruise passengers the environmental levy?” Flax-Charles questioned.

She noted that the cruise industry has the highest negative environmental impact and estimated that the territory could have collected approximately $7.6 million based on last year’s visitor numbers.

In response, Premier and Minister of Tourism Dr. Natalio Wheatley acknowledged the importance of the cruise sector, stating that many residents depend on it for their livelihood.

“I’m pretty sure that the Minister of Communication and Works Kye Rymer would know about that, and that certainly would have to do with a conversation with the cruise passengers because, as we know, those types of costs may discourage them from the destination,” Wheatley stated.

This is not the first time Flax-Charles has raised the issue. She previously made a similar statement in 2022, arguing that the additional revenue could support the BVI’s environmental initiatives.

She acknowledged that cruise passengers are currently exempt from the levy due to berthing agreements between the territory and cruise lines but insisted that these arrangements should be reevaluated.

The environmental and tourism levy was introduced at the territory’s ports of entry on September 1, 2017, under the Environmental Protection and Tourism Improvement Fund Act. The funds collected are used for environmental protection, climate change initiatives, and the maintenance and development of tourist sites.

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25 Comments

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  1. TruDat! says:

    1. Find out what other Cruise destinations are doing. Don’t be an outlier or we might get dropped from some itineraries.
    2. Consider a reduced fee due to short length of stay and to lessen the blow to the Cruise Lines.
    3. Install a secure box for voluntary donations towards the preservation of the Beautiful Virgin Islands right on the pier. Make the box look like a giant Sea Turtle.You might be surprised by how much you collect.
    4. Tell us what you are actually going to do with the money – then actually do it.

    Like 21
    Dislike 5
  2. Sure says:

    Make it $ 100 since they probably won’t ever return after they see what’s on offer here.

    Like 8
    Dislike 1
  3. Blind man says:

    Flax like she trying to kill the cruise tourism everything out her mouth is something negative towards cruise ships ,if she does want any coming to VG fine just make sure you have something to replace them with.

    Like 2
    Dislike 12
  4. Stop the CHEAT says:

    No one should be scammed until it’s verified that the monies are used for the reasons stipulated.

    Like 6
    Dislike 2
  5. skuntington says:

    charge them you know the cruise lines want to cut out public destinations to their own private islands
    where they can get all the profits.

    Like 3
    Dislike 1
  6. Stupid says:

    That’s one way to discourage people from visiting in the future. If you come to charter a boat here, it’s tax to arrive, tax to cruise, tax to leave. Everything is expensive, and alas, the welcome mat is threadbare.

    The need for added revenue is this because the BIVis is incapable of managing its budget. Besides a long history of way over budget capital improvement projects with no audits, and no accountability to keep things on the straight and narrow, many don’t pay their quite low property taxes, many withhold taxes from their employees and don’t forward them to the government. Instead of fixing these problems, the answer always seem to be pass extra costs to the hapless tourist. At what point do we start collecting extra fees from them to foot the $ 100 mill the govt just borrowed since they haven’t gicen much insight as to where the monthly payments are coming from.

    Like 11
    Dislike 2
  7. Are You Guys Serious? says:

    The BVI need to charge themselves first! Just look at the place! I never seen a place with more garbage parked along the roads: vehicles, trash bins running over and left partly in the roads, the burning of garbage, dumping of vehicles near waters edge for tourists and natives to see the obvious disruption of the coral ecosystem. Hey, we KNOW know your incinerator does not work, but do you guys have trash compactors? Are there litter laws, and are they being enforced? It looks like this territory glorifies trash! You have overgrown vegetation obstructing view and assaulting us. Hey! If you want this to be effected, you all need to learn to respect your home, CLEAN IT AND KEEP IT CLEAN! Then people will less challenge your implementation of this levy.

    Like 16
    Dislike 2
  8. Mafia says:

    Extortion

    Like 1
    Dislike 1
  9. Trellis says:

    I come for vacation every year and have to pay the 10.00 dollars so why can’t they pay? It doesn’t stop me from coming back. I don’t see no changes in the environment either.

    Like 12
  10. ... says:

    Yes they should pay it. They come in droves to cut that revenue is killing ourself to help who? Not the cruise ship industry that has billions. Dont sell us out.

  11. ... says:

    Charge them yes. They would charge us if they could and do not maintain the environment. Many come from the big city and do not care about us or the environment. Change the name to cruise tourist tax head tax that is fine by me.

  12. ... says:

    $10 will not stop someone who had a good time or liked the views from coming back. I seriously thought cruise passengers were charged $10 a head. Serious wasted revenue! When gas prices rise the cruise adds on more than $10 to the trip without any special agreement or concern for passenger numbers.

    • port taxes says:

      Cruise ships charge port taxes separate and the extra $ 10.00 will not make any difference to the cruise passengers but a big difference to the BVI, if the money is actually used for environmental improvements.

  13. No One Has a Rightto Tell us. Differently. says:

    Not extortion, just plain ole CAPITALISM. We are selling a product. Buy and pay for it or leave it.

    You may leave and don’t come back, but others will.

    Why do some of you,vwhere 99% 0f the comments represent you, do wish to come into the Territory, enjoy all that is good, beautiful and self fulfilling, but do not think that the country, its coffers and people do not need to be paid for their products, goods and services?

    And, if we call RACISM, we would be called racist, knowing ull well there is no such thing on earth as racism.

    The products are BVI owned and not tourism products. Therefore, those products are for sale and must be paid for. No one or country has any unilateral control over what the government and its tourism office chose to charge for its products.

    Tourism is a business not a set aside for anyone, Black or white to use as needed. The people there haveto eat, tae care and educate their children, so they may g . row up to be able to think that they may not be exploited by anyone, Black or white.

    Therefore, no one has that right to tell us what to charge for our natural nature products. Pay the price or do not come.

    • This business model says:

      Results in Business going out of Business.Do listen to the Guest over charge and then when they are not satisfied say F you we have others. Well guess what we are int eh age where experieces are shared world wide so soon the word would be out and no one would be comming. If you think there is an endless supply of Tourist think again.

  14. Really says:

    The politician are stupid bad. They don’t even think to understand that everything going on in this world is one. One set of wicked people controlling billion so they say. The government depopulate so good that people don’t notice but one thing I see people are noticing is that the vaccine is killing alot of people worldwide and thats the biggest depopulation method ever. AI technology in the human body

  15. Charge them says:

    I pay the $10 then get screwed out 10% a day on my accommodations and I don’t see any benefit from it. Infrastructure collapsing, sewage in the streets, cruise ship folks overrunning the place. My days of extended (30 days +) are soon coming to an end. I’ve held on to hope things would get better, but it hasn’t. As a land based visitor who supports multiple businesses daily, who DONT BENEFIT from the cruise ships, this quantity over quality whoring out of the BVI tourism makes me feel unnoticed and unwelcome.

  16. Styles. says:

    Let’s not forget that the government spends 0,- on the environment.

    So the environment tax is just another scheme to get money into the governments purse in order to spend it on projects that make cronies richer.

    If the government doesn’t use the money to better the environment they shouldn’t charge the tax on anyone.

  17. Joke tax says:

    The purpose of the environmental tax in the BVI is to DESTROY the environment not protect or enrich it!

  18. LUCKY says:

    i think the cruise passengers should pay. they use the beaches just as a passenger arriving by air or charter vessels.
    government just need to use the funds to fix the roads and maintain the country infrastructure.

  19. Yes. They should. says:

    A mere $3,00 a passenger, go towards, beach, parks and Road up-keep. Then again I have a problem. Once govt see the money they will used it for something else.

  20. Why? says:

    Why make them pay a tax for the environment when the government and people of these islands actively hate our environment?
    We want to destroy it in the name of $$, and now want to charge them in the name of $$.
    I mean, yes, they should damn well pay, especially when you see the amount of toxic smoke coming from the funnel of some of those big ships and blowing into our air.
    But don’t pretend BVIslanders and our government cares about the environment at all. They care about $$. Endlessly wanting more growth so there’s more $$.
    That’s just the truth.

  21. A Capitalist Who Loves the BVI says:

    As so many posters have articulated, the Territory’s government cannot be trusted with any revenues that this proposed levy might raise.

    There is no basis to think differently, especially when it comes to the environment. Look at the defunct project at Drake’s Landing which is now a new junkyard for vehicles that were damaged in Irma, more than 7 years ago. How on earth (no pun intended) has this situation been allowed to fester for so long?

    The above is just one example, along with the overflowing roadside garbage bins, dysfunctional sewers, and unreliable water supply. Meanwhile, there was just another junket to Hong Kong, with a “delegation” of bureaucrats on the taxpayers’ dime. The madness continues unabated…..

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