As Barbadians and business groups eagerly await next week’s Budget, the tourism sector has submitted a long list of recommendations to Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler that they want him to act on.
In a document prepared by the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association (BHTA), the key foreign exchange earning sector said against a backdrop of rising energy prices, a reduction in length of stay by visitors, a drop in room rates and a “proliferation of home accommodation and other undocumented accommodation offerings”, members needed urgent assistance.
After calling for a return to the 7.5 per cent value added tax (VAT) on accommodation, hoteliers called on Government to offer a tax credit to Barbadians and households who spend their holidays in local hotels and properties under the Staycation programme.
The BHTA has also recommended to the Minister of Finance that he set an amount that locals could spend in duty-free purchases while using the Staycation products.
Read the full story in today’s MIDWEEK?NATION.
