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Proposed $15 environmental, tourism fee on hotel, condominium occupants
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Posted on Mar 22 2012
By Haidee V. Eugenio
Reporter
Reporter
House Speaker Eli Cabrera (R-Saipan) pre-filed a bill that would assess a $15 environmental and tourism promotional fee among tourists or “transient” occupants of hotels, lodging houses, motels, resort motels, apartments, apartment hotels, condominiums, and similar facilities in the CNMI.
The proposed $15 fee will be assessed only on transient occupants below 13 years old.
Cabrera is set to introduce House Bill 17-290 during today’s session.
The bill seeks to amend Public Law 17-58 or the Tourism Incentive Program which provides incentives to travel agencies bringing in more tourists to the CNMI and also charges passengers from non-U.S. destinations a new $15 travel promotion fee.
Cabrera’s HB 17-290 seeks to amend that law signed on Nov. 4, even before the regulations to implement it have yet to be finalized.
If Cabrera’s bill becomes law, the $15 will be assessed on transient occupants of hotels and similar facilities, mostly tourists, instead of assessing passengers from non-U.S. destinations.
The speaker said funds derived from the $15 fee will be deposited into a revolving fund administered by the Department of Finance and remitted to the Marianas Visitors Authority.
These funds will then be used to build, equip, improve and maintain projects, agencies and facilities promoting recreation and tourism.
Under the bill, $200,000 shall be allocated each for Rota and Tinian for charter flight tourism incentives and promotional programs.
The fee will be collected by the person who operates, owns or manages a hotel, lodging house and similar facilities. They are to remit the collected fee to Finance on or before the 20th of the succeeding month.
