HERALD WEEKLY ISSUE 608: 21 March 2012

Government gauges reaction to proposed departure tax changes
The Government is preparing legislation to make it a requirement of all airlines operating in the Cook Islands to embed Cook Islands departure tax within their ticket prices.
A public meeting was held at the Pukapuka Hostel on Tuesday to inform members of the tourism industry, as well as the general public, on the government’s current proposal. The legislation is currently being drafted for the inclusion of departure tax into airline ticket prices, however this is only one part of the government’s proposal. The government also intends to increase the departure tax from the current $55 to somewhere between $65-$70, from July 1 2013. Following this initial increase, it has been proposed that the price increases by two per cent per annum to allow for inflation.
The meeting was well-attended, with many of the ‘heavyweights’ of the Cook Islands tourism industry present, and was hosted by Financial Secretary Richard Neves and the Minister of Tourism, Hon. Teina Bishop. Neves said he was happy with the meeting and added that he thought those in attendance were asking very relevant questions. “I think people are now happy that they’re informed and they’ve got a good idea of where it’s going to go and now it’s just up to cabinet to decide on whether – if they increase [departure tax] – to what level. The Minister said he’d be happy for it to go in at $55 then see how it goes… So I guess it’s just talking through the merits again [including] the feedback of what happened here.” -Ngariki Ngatae

Herald Issue 608 21 March
- Terms of one China Policy document should be reviewed
- Pacific Media Assistance Scheme Seeks Innovation
- Successful NZ visit by PM
- Rerekura Teaurere New Climate Change Coordinator
- News Briefs

Copyright 2006 Cook Islands Herald online . All rights reserved.