VAT REMOVAL FROM PARK FEES MAKES SAFARIS MORE AFFORDABLE
(Posted 09th June 2016)
The 2016/17 budget reading in the Kenyan parliament yesterday has met one of the key demands of the country’s tourism industry, when Cabinet Secretary for Finance Henry Rotich proposed to remove VAT on park entrance fees, which three years ago raised the cost to visit national parks by a whopping 16 percent.
Another key demand sent to government in various submissions was also met when tour operators services were also earmarked to have the 16 percent Value Added Tax removed, again reducing the cost of safaris and excursions for foreign visitors.
In addition did the Budget propose to hand the sector 4.5 billion Kenya Shillings for promotional purposes, which however needs to be seen in comparison to past budgets and the funds actually released year on year.
On the downside will airport departure taxes rise, for travel abroad from US Dollars 40 to US Dollars 50 while for domestic air travel will the fees charged rise from the present 500 Kenya Shillings to 600 Kenya Shillings.
The funds raised are supposed to be put into a special tourism promotion fund but to accomplish that will relevant laws and regulations first need to be changed as funds raised through airport departure taxes hitherto went into a different budget line and were under a different governmental oversight.
As mentioned yesterday in a related article did arrivals from the beginning of 2016 continue to rise, establishing a trend started in October last year, when the downward spiral finally bottomed out after nearly four years of constant decline. The fund availed for promotion, as long as they are released in a timely manner, should allow the Kenya Tourism Board to roll out their recovery marketing programmes across the world, but notably also for domestic and regional travel and increased travel from the rest of Africa into Kenya.
For more information about Destination Kenya click on www.magicalkenya.com and www.kws.go.ke
