http://www.telegraph.co.uk/tra...ry-into-pandamoneum/



Does the VAT apply to hunting safaris?


'Disaster' for safaris in Tanzania as government unleashes tourism tax


Hugh Morris

7 JULY 2016 • 3:57PM

Tanzania’s safari industry has been thrown into “absolute pandemonium in every conceivable way”, after the African country’s government introduced an 18 per cent VAT tax on tourist services with just a week’s notice.

The unexpected levy means the cost of numerous elements of a holiday – from national park entry to accommodation – have increased by as much as hundreds of pounds. Many facets of the tourism industry were previously exempt from VAT, but the country is now attempting to raise more revenue from tourists.

Safaribookings.com, a website for African safaris, said it had been “bombarded by emails from concerned clients that have received requests from their tour operators to pay an additional amount”.



Marc Harris, director of Tanzania Odyssey, said the new tax was a “complete and unmitigated disaster”.

“The Tanzanians can obviously do what they want to do as far as VAT goes, that’s absolutely fine,” he said. “It’s the notice period that’s the problem. They alerted us on June 23, like a week before the taxes were coming in. There have been all sorts of implications.

“No one has any idea what is going on. The lodgings we use don’t know whether to take on the tax or pass it on to us.”


Mr Harris said it was not clear whether the taxes would apply retrospectively to bookings, which would affect far more people. He said Tanzania Odyssey had already been forced to contact some of its clients “depending on where they are in the booking process” to ask for more money, due to the hike.


The Ngorongoro National Park, popular for spotting the Big Five, has increased its fees by 18 per cent, but Mr Harris said the national parks are not even VAT registered “so are taking this additional money, but have no idea what do with it”.


“It’s a mess. There are queues at the parks and it’s a bit ungainly,” he added.

But he says the main concern is around accommodation, which could see a seven per cent rise in prices.

“On the whole, many of the increases will not amount to too much, but it is the lodgings that will go up the most, adding a couple of hundred pounds onto the cost of a holiday,” he said. “It also means travellers might switch countries, to say, Kenya.”


Tanzania Odyssey is not a member of ABTA, the travel association, so would not have needed their permission to apply a surcharge, as mentioned in its terms and conditions, but a spokesperson for ABTA said the tax hike was most likely to affect purchases in Tanzania.


He added that, should any operators approach ABTA for permission to apply a surcharge, they would be within their rights so long as they followed legal protocol.

Wouter Vergeer from SafariBookings.com said: “The short notice has shocked hundreds of tour operators, thousands of clients have been hit with unexpected charges, and park authorities haven’t had enough time to implement these changes and provide proper VAT receipts.”

Tanzania receives about 1.1million tourists a year, of which about 75,000 are British.

They never learn. Nothing was learned from the 2007 debacle.

I wanted to hunt Tanz, but just the ridiculous fees to bring in your rifle for a couple of weeks was enough to persuade me to go elsewhere.

BH63

Just checked the calendar. Yep, we are between the last week of June and the first week of July. Start of the season and the perfect time to implement new rules. ie:

Increase prices with no notification when the season starts.

Raise the minimum age of hunters while kids are in the air with their dads to go to Tanzania for the hunt of their life.

Increase VAT at the start of the season with no notice.

Think there was something else in the last 10 years but can't recall at the moment.



Westerners are rich. They won't notice. Let them pay.



Third world countries. Third world minds. Third world decisions. Will Tanzania ever raise itself from the dregs of the third world.

quote:

Originally posted by AilsaWheels:
Just checked the calendar. Yep, we are between the last week of June and the first week of July. Start of the season and the perfect time to implement new rules. ie:

Increase prices with no notification when the season starts.

Raise the minimum age of hunters while kids are in the air with their dads to go to Tanzania for the hunt of their life.

Increase VAT at the start of the season with no notice.

Think there was something else in the last 10 years but can't recall at the moment.



Westerners are rich. They won't notice. Let them pay.



Third world countries. Third world minds. Third world decisions. Will Tanzania ever raise itself from the dregs of the third world.

It was 2007. The raised prices after all of the conventions where most of the hunts were sold. I have not been back since then. I was waffling on that position. They have just reminded me of why I was pissed off with them.

Bet there are a few other African countries that are happy.

One sure way to stop the fleecing would be for us to TOTALLY STOP HUNTING in Tanzania!

By hunting there we are perpetuating their nonsense.

I know, I know..."if we do that then the animals will suffer!"

We have to make a stand and stop getting ripped-off by 3rd World Govts

Umm it looks like the folks who are complaining in the article are phototourists.

While Tanzania is costly, some of my favorite spots are there.

I really have not made a change and don't see making any changes personally from their decisions. Can anyone name any nation that doesn't do things to shaft the guys who pay for things to get money?

"The national parks are not even vat registered"

How can you charge vat if you are not vat registered ?

Or does one shrug ones shoulders and say, "it's Africa" ?

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
Umm it looks like the folks who are complaining in the article are phototourists.

While Tanzania is costly, some of my favorite spots are there.

I really have not made a change and don't see making any changes personally from their decisions. Can anyone name any nation that doesn't do things to shaft the guys who pay for things to get money?

Yes, Namibia comes to mind. Stable, hunter/tourist friendly, a relative bargain- and hunting is
enshrined in their constitution. Glad I went to rhe Selous 15 years ago but I wouldn't spend another dime in that sewer now.