“The timing is not right”: Mahler pushes back on hotel tax increase

By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): Minister of Tourism Anthony Mahler says the announcement of a proposed increase in the hotel accommodation tax came out too early, and that discussions on it have been running for nearly two years.

Speaking to 7 News, Mahler said he met with the Belize Tourism Board’s Board of Directors before taking a Cabinet paper, and that both major industry organisations were present.

“There has been negotiations and discussions about this for almost 2 years,” he said. “In fact, private sector individuals have met with the Ministry of Finance, the Prime Minister and other people without the BTB there, and they knew it was coming.”

Mahler said he personally does not believe the timing is right and has told both the BTIA and the Belize Hotel Association as much.

He tied the proposal directly to sargassum.

“We have a significant problem in sargassum. It is killing us on the coastal communities that are important for our tourism product. How can we fund this?”

Mahler said around $20 million in equipment is needed to fight it, and that BTB has funded the effort alone so far.

“I had always opposed new taxes on the tourism industry, always, and that is a fact.”

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