Indecision Clouds Future of Tourist Fee: Indecision on which agency will collect the recently imposed tourist fee remained a hot topic at this year's Lao Business Forum at the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The event brings together government agencies and businesses every January, and according to VietStock.com, private sector representatives at this year's meeting wanted to know which government body would be responsible for collecting the tourist fee. However, due to the different objectives of customs and tax authorities, it is still unclear which agency should implement the collection. In 2010, the LNTA said the Finance Ministry had been assigned to oversee the collection of USD1 and USD2 fees from border pass and passport holders respectively. The tax authority was responsible for collecting the fees from outgoing tourists, while tour companies were instructed to collect money from incoming tourists and give it to the LNTA. The tax department and LNTA then established a committee to draft a resolution on collecting, managing, and using the tourism funds. The LNTA recently reported that the issue had almost been resolved, but it was still waiting for a receipt template, which needs to be approved by the Finance Ministry. However, according to the Lao Business Forum report received by VietStock.com, there has been no response from the government since last year. In the Lao Business Forum Working Group Meeting, businesses suggested that the fee be collected at the border by government officials rather than by hotel owners. For more information, visit: www.tourismlaos.org. |
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