Tourism stakeholders, political parties oppose tourist tax in Darjeeling

EOI, DARJEELING, NOVEMBER 27, 2023 : The decision of the Darjeeling Municipality to levy "tourist tax" on visitors coming to the hills have been opposed by the tourism stakeholders and opposition political parties. 

The Darjeeling civic body has decided to collect Rs.20 per visitor per day which has been outsourced through a tender process. On Monday the Gorkha Ekta Chalak Sangathan affiliated to the Gorkha National Liberation Front urged the Darjeeling Municipality to reconsider its decision. 

"Already there are various taxes the visitors have to pay during their stay in Darjeeling. It is not right to impose more taxes which could antagonize the tourists and stop them from coming to the hills," said Bharat Tirwa, general secretary of the GECS. The GECS said taxes would be a deterrent for visitors wanting to come to the hills given no facilities were being provided to them. 

"The tourists have not been given facilities. Whatever places of interest are there at the moment date back to the British era and natural surroundings. No new destination and facilities have been provided by the present political dispensation. So it is not fair to impose additional tax," said Tirwa. 

The Darjeeling Municipality is being run by the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha which also helma the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. A private agency will hire contractors to collect the tax from hotels. They will have to pay the contract amount in two installments after the issuance of the work order. 

The GECS general secretary said the imposition of the tax would hamper the tourism stakeholders of the hills. 

"We depend on the tourists for our livelihood. There is large scale unemployment and the ruling dispensation heading the GTA has not been able to provide jobs. As such we have to fend for ourselves. Now if the tourists refuse to visits the hills then what will happen to us (taxi drivers)," said Tirwa. 

The Hamro Party has also opposed the decision of the Darjeeling municipality to impose the Rs.20 tax on visitors. 

"The tax will not only deter the tourists from coming to the hills, it will also affect the livelihood of the taxi drivers, road side stall owners, businessmen and traders," said Gopal Pariyar, senior leader of the party. 

Earlier too in 2008, 2011 and 2012 taxes were imposed on the visitors but the initiative failed. Hoteliers too have resented the decision of the civic body saying it would have a domino effect on the tourism sector. "We have not been consulted by the Darjeeling Municipality on the tax imposition issue. 

The tourists are not willing to pay the tax. And we do not want to collect the tax on behalf of the agency contracted by the civic body," said a hotelier not wishing to be named. The hills are witnessing a bumper tourist season after the 104 days strike for a separate state and the Coronavirus pandemic with more then 800,000 tourists visiting annually.