New (Additional) Tourist Tax

[gopbroek]

As previously posted in the Mexico main forum Quintana Roo is instituting a new tourist tax of $224 MXN (currently about $11USD) starting on April 1. The new tax will not be included in your ticket which already has an approximately $30 USD Mexico tourist tax baked in. Visitors will be required to pay the tax prior to departure.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...BMAB6BAgJEAo&usg=AOvVaw3E-NjpZHKU9WVtNWQHoTkG

 

[Big Tank 58]

Will it apply to tourists that arrive by Cruise Ship?

 

[DandyDon]

The most appealing cash cow to milk is the one who doesn't vote locally. How long has it been since they added the extra hotel tax? I avoid that one by claiming Senior Citizen exclusion. Can I avoid this one claiming to be under age 15?

Will it apply to tourists that arrive by Cruise Ship?

The article does not bother to say. It mentions easy payments at airports. They're not going to tax Mexicans visiting from other states.

 

[rick00001967]

as long as travelers are willing to keep paying more and more add on taxes, resort fees, service fees, cleaning fees etc, there will be no end to it.
this comment is not solely directed at coz btw. this applies anywhere.
as mentioned above, there were more taxes added to coz hotel stays just recently. curacao added an entry fee per person as well. i think roatan basic tax is like 16%.
i understand gov needs tax revenue to run their countries. but there is a fine line where at some point it becomes counter productive. if the fees become too high, people will go elsewhere. as i said, it is up to travelers who vote with their dollars.

 

[divinh]

$11 isn't much, even on top of $30.

Here, in San Francisco, the hotel tax keeps getting voted up, and I keep voting it down. Average hotel price is something like $325/night, so it's already expensive for visitors.

 

[DandyDon]

$11 isn't much, even on top of $30.

That's always the logic offered. I think it's rude. The claim is that it will "fund more tourism industry development in the state." Hell, if they want to spend money to attract tourism, let them spend their own money to do that. I really doubt that much of the millions collected will actually be so spent.

 

[ReefHound]

I'm not concerned about $11. I'm more concerned with the additional time and hassle it will mean at the airport upon departure. I'm not sure what "easy payments" means but it's another task and will take additional time. Hopefully it will just be temporary until the airlines can build it into the ticket price.

 

[divinh]

That's always the logic offered. I think it's rude. The claim is that it will "fund more tourism industry development in the state." Hell, if they want to spend money to attract tourism, let them spend their own money to do that. I really doubt that much of the millions collected will actually be so spent.

In many neighborhoods in SF, a private company was able to add a melo roos tax for street cleaning and "promoting" the neighborhood businesses. Why should residents be taxed to promote neighborhood businesses? Like you said, if they want more business, they should use their own funds. The tax is as much as the tax to help the local schools. It's ridiculous. Further, it's indexed to inflation and is a 15 year contract. While I do see it benefiting some workers who are cleaning the streets, I'm pretty sure this private entity is paying its management multiple times over because each district is its own entity.

 

[divinh]

I'm not concerned about $11. I'm more concerned with the additional time and hassle it will mean at the airport upon departure. I'm not sure what "easy payments" means but it's another task and will take additional time. Hopefully it will just be temporary until the airlines can build it into the ticket price.

Indonesia had a fee upon entry, to be paid in USD, and a fee upon exit, to be paid in IDR. It was confusing to some people who weren't prepared, but authorities did have money exchanges on hand. Since then, the fee was rolled into the ticket.

 

[DandyDon]

I suspect that Governor Carlos Joaquín González and associates will find many pockets for the $29 million USD/year expected.