A proposal has been submitted to amend the Maldives Tourism Act to remove the requirement of obtaining permission from the President's Office before leasing land, islands, and lagoons for resort development.

MP for South Mahchangoalhi constituency Musthafa Hussain submitted the proposal on behalf of the government.

The first reading of the amendment was carried out on Monday.

Introducing the bill, the lawmaker stated that the government is proposing the bill to make some changes to the regulations regarding leasing islands, land, and lagoons for tourism as stated in the Maldives Tourism Act, and to increase the amount of Green Tax collected under the law.

An amendment to Article 35 of the act has been proposed.

This includes revising sections (g) and (h) of Article 35.

The amendment details the Green Tax to be collected from tourists staying at resorts, guesthouses, and safari vessels in the Maldives.

It proposes to collect USD six per person per day between 1 January 2023, to 31 December 2024, and USD 12 per person per day from 1 January 2025, onwards.

This is the amendment proposed to section (g).

In addition to this, for hotels and guesthouses in inhabited islands with fewer than 50 rooms, it proposes collecting USD three per tourist per day between 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2024, and USD six per person per day from 1 January 2025 onwards.

This is the amendment proposed to section (h).

Although the bill proposes to remove the requirement of obtaining permission from the President's Office before leasing islands, land, and lagoons for tourism purposes, it does not include removing the clause that mandates sharing information about island leases with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Auditor General's Office before granting them.