Tajikistan to introduce tourism tax

A new tax is being introduced in Tajikistan to develop the tourism sector. According to AsiaPlus, the country has established a Tourism Development Fund. One of the financial sources of the fund will be a tourism tax collected from citizens.

The main task of the fund is to support companies operating in the tourism sector and develop this sector. The government signed a resolution on the establishment of the fund and regulating its activities on July 1.

According to the document, a special account will be opened for the fund's funds in the Central Treasury Department of the Ministry of Finance. The funds will be spent based on the decisions of the fund's board.

**The funds will be collected from local and foreign tourists**

The fund is financed from several sources. One of them is 5 percent of the cost of tourist packages purchased by Tajik citizens for traveling abroad. That is, 5 percent of the cost of tour packages purchased by Tajiks will be transferred to the fund.

In addition, the fund receives a fee for each day of travel by foreign tourists in the country from tourist packages, a fee for a document permitting the provision of tourist services, fines for evasion of these fees, income from deposits, as well as grants and target funds from international financial organizations.

The funds received by the fund are spent only for specified purposes. They are directed to the creation and development of tourism infrastructure, training, social support for industry workers, improving the quality of services, promoting the country's tourism potential, introducing innovations and conducting research.

Funds not spent during the year are transferred to the next year. Also, 30 percent of the funds received by the fund each month are transferred to the account of the "Tourism Services Information Center". These funds are used to conduct operational activities and motivate industry workers.