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Aldan-Pierce: MVA will keep working with DOF on arrears
From a practical standpoint, the Department of Finance may still owe the Marianas Visitors Authority over $5 million in hotel occupancy tax collection but there is not much the tourism body can do about that other than to continue working with Finance to eventually get that money, according to MVA board chair Marian Aldan-Pierce.
In an interview last Wednesday, Aldan-Pierce said the MVA board did meet privately with Finance Secretary David Atalig because their concern was that MVA is beginning to dig its reserve funds to pay its bills.
She said that Atalig promised them that he is aware of his payables and that MVA will eventually be reimbursed.
Aldan-Pierce said that MVA managing director Priscilla M. Iakopo had at the last board meeting that Atalig had promised to remit a total of $2.45 million in hotel occupancy tax collection this month and in January.
“So that’s very good news for us,” she said.
As of last Wednesday, Iakopo said Finance still owes the tourism body $5.2 million.
Under the law, 80% of the hotel occupancy tax collection goes to MVA, while 20% goes to the Settlement Fund.
