Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Lazaro Nyalandu made the
announcement here when speaking to the community of Maasai Curios and
Crafts Market which was burnt down to mere ashes in April last year.
The move came at the time when traders of the antiques, souvenirs and hand-made crafts complained on the nuisance taxes.
The minister condemned on the charges, saying it meant nothing rather than ruining government’s efforts towards boosting country’ s tourism industry.
Nyalandu called upon people who are behind the “illegal” business to stop from doing so.
“Curios and hand-made crafts businesses have a close relationship with the development of tourism. And this sub-sector employs good number of people in the country, hence the need to handle it with care remained imperative,” he said.
“I am aware of the taxes as one of the tourists complained that one day when he was at the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA), he was asked to pay tax amounting to 30,000 Tanzanian Shilling (16. 6 U.S. dollars) for one piece of curios, which he bought at 10,000 Tanzanian Shilling,” said Adelhelm Meru, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism,
The official said the government started working on the institution which is behind those charges.
“As government, we cannot allow this thing to continue, these people (tourists) are spending a lot of money when they are in the country,” he said.
“We are very concerned with the ongoing trend whereby some institutions which have started charging taxes on these commodities,” said Mgaya Kondo, chairperson of curios and crafts’ petty traders. Enditem
The move came at the time when traders of the antiques, souvenirs and hand-made crafts complained on the nuisance taxes.
The minister condemned on the charges, saying it meant nothing rather than ruining government’s efforts towards boosting country’ s tourism industry.
Nyalandu called upon people who are behind the “illegal” business to stop from doing so.
“Curios and hand-made crafts businesses have a close relationship with the development of tourism. And this sub-sector employs good number of people in the country, hence the need to handle it with care remained imperative,” he said.
“I am aware of the taxes as one of the tourists complained that one day when he was at the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA), he was asked to pay tax amounting to 30,000 Tanzanian Shilling (16. 6 U.S. dollars) for one piece of curios, which he bought at 10,000 Tanzanian Shilling,” said Adelhelm Meru, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism,
The official said the government started working on the institution which is behind those charges.
“As government, we cannot allow this thing to continue, these people (tourists) are spending a lot of money when they are in the country,” he said.
“We are very concerned with the ongoing trend whereby some institutions which have started charging taxes on these commodities,” said Mgaya Kondo, chairperson of curios and crafts’ petty traders. Enditem
Source: Xinhua
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