(12/21/2012)
Once again a movement has been launched in Bali to secure a share of the visa-on-arrival fees (VOA) paid by visiting tourists to Bali that is now entirely remitted to Jakarta.
As reported by Radar Bali, the chairman of Commission IV of the Bali House of Representatives (DPRD Bali), Nyoman Parta, confirmed that he would soon outline steps that should be taken for Bali to get a fair share of these revenues.
Parta is calling for the establishment of a Special Commission in 2013 to examine the distribution of VOA revenues.
He claims the struggle to obtain a share of VOA fees paid by foreign visitors is realistic.
Nyoman Parta has estimated the total VOA fees collected at Bali’s airport totals Rp. 6.5 trillion (US$670 million).
Bad Math?
The legislator’s calculations on the size of the fund at stake are inaccurate based on the mistaken assumption that 2.5 million foreign tourists pay Rp. 250,000 each for VOA. Parta’s calculation are flawed in that the cost of the VOA is closer to Rp. 242,0000 (US$25) and fails to consider that visitors from ASEAN countries do not pay the VOA fee.
Parta insists that, whatever the actual total collected, Bali needs a share of the tax fees collected for VOA in order to maintain the island’s infrastructure and improve the state of the Balinese tourist attractions.
© Bali
Discovery Tours. Articles may be quoted and reproduced
if attributed to http://www.balidiscovery.com.
