Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Travel Tax Harmful for Tourism Industry

29 JULY 2015

Travel Tax Harmful for Tourism Industry

The travel tax the National Government announced in the May Budget will discourage tourism and adversely impact on one of this country’s largest revenue streams, says New Zealand First.

“New Zealand First agrees with the Tourism Industry Association of New Zealand (TIA) that the Border Clearance Levy (or travel tax) is bad policy and another example of this government focusing solely on balancing the books, rather than looking after the interests of the country, says New Zealand First’s Tourism Spokesperson Fletcher Tabuteau.

“Making visitors, exporters and New Zealanders pay as they enter and exit this country is unacceptable – our border services and security needs to continue to be Crown funded. This tax will do nothing but discourage tourism and undermine all of the good work from this industry to-date.

“The figures released by the TIA, and commissioned by the government, show that this tax will reduce international visitor numbers by 1.4 per cent and cut their expenditure by 0.9 per cent, which equates to a loss of 44,000 visitors a year and spending of $104 million.

“It’s very clear to New Zealand First that this biosecurity levy on international passengers is simply the government’s attempt to top up funding they have previously cut.

“This is wholly unacceptable – New Zealand and our tourism industry deserves better,” says Mr Tabuteau.

ENDS

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.