The Sikkim government has decided to collect tourist tax, but the move is going the Darjeeling way.
The Darjeeling municipality has attempted to collect tourist tax at least four times since 2008 but has not succeeded.
Sources said the Sikkim government planned to collect ₹50 per visitor as the tourism sustainable development (TSD) funds under the Sikkim Registration of Tourist Trade Rules, 2005.
The funds are meant to enhance tourism infrastructure and services, promote sustainable tourism and preserve the cultural heritage of Sikkim.
Among the most visited northeastern states, Sikkim records more than 10 lakh tourists a year.
Sources said the government planned to levy the one-time tax on guests staying overnight and it was valid for a maximum of 30 days or until the tourists exited the state, whichever was earlier. Children under five years, government employees and local people are exempted from the tax.
The state wants hotels to collect the tax and transfer the amounts to a designated government account with relevant data every week. The tax was to be collected from March 14.
“The process is yet to be fully implemented as hoteliers in Sikkim have a similar reservation as expressed by their counterparts in Darjeeling when the hill town wanted to charge a similar tax,” said a source.
Representatives of hotel owners in the Himalayan state and tourism department officials met in Gangtok on Tuesday to discuss the issue.
“The tourism stakeholders felt that the collection should be done at a central point and the burden should not be imposed on the hotels,” said a source.
Darjeeling hoteliers, too, had a similar objection.
“The tax could be clubbed either with permits or entry fees in some major tourist points,” said a hotelier from Gangtok.
Some tourism stakeholders also suggested that the government introduce a QR code so that the tax could be directly credited to the government.
“Collecting the tourist tax at the hotel levels comes with complications and is a burden on the hotel management,” said the hotelier.
The sources said at the meeting on Tuesday, the tourism department officials asked the tourism representatives to submit their suggestions in writing so that the matter could be taken up with the “policymakers”.
In August 2024, the Darjeeling municipality decided to collect ₹20 each from a visitor. According to the Bengal Municipality Act, civic bodies cannot charge more than ₹3 per tourist a day.
The Darjeeling municipality had made similar moves before also.