The Provincial Government of Bali continues to collect a “tourism tax” (PWA) of Rp. 150,000 from all foreign visitors to Bali.
An imperfect and badly flawed tax collection system has collected only Rp. 287 billion since the introduction of the tax on 14 February 2024. As reported by TRIBUN-BALI.COM and BaliPost.com, the Bali Tourism Service says the tax funds have come from taxes paid by only 40% of the 4.7 million tourists calculated to have visited Bali over the preceding nine months.
These numbers indicate that some 60% of visiting foreign tourists are not paying the mandated tax.
The head of the Bali Provincial Tourism Service, Tjok Bagus Pemayun, heads a monitoring and evaluation committee whose membership includes the Tourism Service of Klungkung Regency, The Bali Guide Association (HPI), the Bali Chapter of the Indonesian Association of Travel Agents (ASITA-Bali), the Provincial Enforcement Agency (Satpol PP), National Unity and Political Agency (Badan Kesbangpol), The Bali Development Bank (Bank BPD), the Foreigner Tourism Tax Collection Team, and the Kertagosa Management Team.
Pemayun, who heads the monitoring team and led a meeting at The Kertha Gosa Park discussing the PWA, admitted that most foreign visitors fail to pay the tax when visiting Bali.
To increase the number of tourists paying the tax, the Provincial Government has introduced the “Love Bali “Application” which allows visitors to carry a helpful mobile source of information on Bali tourism that will also contain a “proof of payment” receipt for the PWA.
The Provincial Administration of Bali is also seeking help from Bali’s travel agents to spread the news on the tax and persuade foreign visitors to pay the PWA obligation of Rp. 150,000.
There have been no media reports on how the tax revenues are being spent.
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