Ecuador raises taxes on flights leaving and entering the country

ubicatv.com reported that Ecuador surprise travel agencies with a new tax on tickets for flights abroad as well as inbound flights.

The Ministry of tourism decreed, through two agreements published in the official registry, the collection of new contributions to passengers flying out of the country, as well as those who buy a ticket with destination to Ecuador.

Compact 20140107, published on January 26, declared a new contribution of 20 USD. This is an increase from 5 USD per ticket. The fee is called echo Delta. This tax will apply for each airline ticket originating in Ecuador for flights abroad. If a flight is a charter, the tax will be 30 USD for each ticket.

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Futhermore, a new tourist tax will be charged on each ticket from flights from abroad to Ecuador of $10 USD. Airlines are responsible for collecting this tax and making payment to the government.
The process of collection of both contributions will be met by Internet computer system provided by the Ministry of tourism.

According to the agreements published in the Official Gazette, the Ministry, as rector of the tourism policy, determine and regulate resources such as rates and contributions that are believed to boost tourism. The ministry of tourism stated these fees are to help protect tourists and promote travel awareness.

A number of travel agencies have been surprised by this new tax. Irma Ugalde, representative of Irmãs Tours, in Cuenca, showed their annoyance and said that these taxes are fixed unilaterally without consultation with stakeholders in the tourism sector. “For agencies it is a problem because people think that we raise prices arbitrarily.” Read Article