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Max Hurst reports an under-reporting of Tourism Guest Levy in the hotel sector (file photo)
The Inland Revenue Department has raised concerns regarding the ongoing under-reporting of the Tourism Guest Levy by hotels, many of which are currently operating at full capacity.
Chief of Staff in the Office of the Prime Minister, Lionel Max Hurst, says despite these hotels enjoying a surge in bookings, it appears that the amounts collected from tourists are significantly lower than anticipated.
He said the Inland Revenue Department is taking proactive measures to address this discrepancy by preparing an estimate of the uncollected levy amounts.
This effort, according to Hurst, aims to identify and pursue taxpayers who have failed to report the expected figures accurately.
“They have their way of determining [when hotels under-report their income]. We know they are under-reporting because they have more guests than they had in 2023, and they are still paying amounts that reflect the customer base in 2023”.
He said with the implementation of the electronic ED cards, “each entry indicates how long they will stay, which hotel they are staying and when they will leave Antigua. So we can count the days and decide how much the levy is expected to be”.
The initiative underscores the department’s commitment to ensuring compliance and fairness within the tourism sector.
Fine them. Because they not paying their workers properly.