Sydney cruise passenger tax proposed

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Posted on: June 14, 2012 email the editors email a friend small medium large View Comments Home Topics Cruise By Donna TunneyA cruise passenger tax proposed by the New South Wales government is slated to take effect in July 2013 for vessels docking in Sydney.

The tax will be $20 per passenger next year, rising to $25 in 2014 and $30 in 2015. It will replace the port’s current berthing fee of $250 per hour, according to published reports.

Sydney has two cruise passenger terminals: the Overseas Passenger Terminal and the Wharf 5 Cruise Passenger Terminal.

The tax will be based on the passenger manifest and has a minimum fee based on 1,200 passengers, or $24,000.

Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF) Australia, a nonprofit group that advocates for tourism interests, criticized the proposal, which was revealed earlier this week in government budget documents.

In a Seatrade Insider report, TTF called the tax excessive and said it is designed to give harbor operator Sydney Ports a new profit stream.

Neither TTF nor Sydney Ports were immediately available for comment about the tax.

According to Sydney Ports' statistics, with the combination of passenger and crew spending and vessel-related costs, the cruise industry in New South Wales contributes more than $150 million annually to the state’s economy.

The 2011-12 Sydney cruise season will be the busiest on record, it said, with 214 cruise ship visits, up from 150 in the previous season.  This page is protected by Copyright laws. Do Not Copy. Purchase Reprint email the editors email a friend small medium large Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. blog comments powered by Disqus

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