International travelers to and from Samoa will soon be paying an additional $130 tālā for air travel after the National Revenue Board (NRB) approved an increase in the departure tax and aviation security fees.
The international departure tax increased from $65 tālā to $100 tālā, while the aviation security fee by the Samoa Airport Authority (SAA) increased from $5 tālā to $100 tālā.
The Samoa Observer reports that the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Finance, Tofilau Luamanuvae Lae Siliva confirmed the tax hike. However, Chief Executive Officer of the Samoa Airport Authority, Tumanuvao Evile Falefatu, said he was unaware the departure tax increase had been approved by the NRB.
“That is news to me. This is my first time hearing it,” Tumanuvao told the newspaper.
Tumanuvao said the SAA has not received a formal notice or a timeline for implementation.
“If the Revenue Board decides to implement the fee in the new year, then that’s when it will come into effect. We are not in charge of when the fee is introduced, we only submit the request. Once we receive the official notice, we proceed accordingly.”
