Dominican Authorities, Hoteliers Keep Bickering Over Hotel Room Tax

The Dominican Republic´s tourism sector maintains its position that hotel rooms be taxed with an 8 percent Processed Goods and Services (ITEBIS) tax, to ensure its competitive capacity in the region.

Enrique de Marchena, president of the National Association of Hotels and Restaurants (ASONAHORES), added that hoteliers would pay 8 percent, rather than the 16 percent proposed by authorities.

Marchena also explained that the sector claims more reliability with respect to the national currency. Arturo Villanueva, ASONAHORES Executive Director, ratified the association´s views.

Hoteliers assured that a differentiated ITEBIS for tourism would give the sector an equal edge when competing with Mexico and some of the regional islands, where tax on this particular economic activity is levied somewhere between 8 to 10 dollars.