Common Sense May Have Prevailed In Tegucigalpa

We received notification the President of Honduras has suspended the proposed increased exit tax on passengers departing on international flights from Honduras.

It must have been so easy for the Honduran Congress to raise the tax.  In a country where more than 98% of people don't bother to pay their taxes, they just wave their gavel and…. Shazam!! Suddenly there was a source of extra money… easy money at that.  They just slapped an extra $22 on every business person still coming to Honduras, and the thousands of NGO workers and missionaries.   Oh! I forgot about the rare tourists still coming to Honduras, they would get gouged too.

Apparently there was a veritable deluge of complaints to the various Honduran Consulates, newspapers and the few accessible members of the government.  I've enjoyed reading some of them posted on Honduras Weekly .  In addition there were, many, many postings on the Honduras-Healthcare user group on Yahoo.com.  It would seem that unlike similar bad decisions, the right people heard the outcries, and rational and measured thought floated to the top.  Porfino Lobo vetoed the Congress' new airport tax bill.  Here is a link to a news release from Honduras Weekly, along with an interesting comment  following. http://www.hondurasweekly.com/president-lobo-blocks-airport-exit-fee-hike-201112214619/

Unless another source of revenue for the new airport is found, I expect that a departure tax increase will be tried again eventually.  Will the Congress try to override the presidential veto?  Will Mr. Lobo bend to internal pressures?  I read a comment recently that asked why Honduras needs a new airport?  With arguably the highest murder rate in the world, the tourist trade is all but dead anyway.

It is encouraging to find that we payers of the airport exit tax just might have gathered together into a unified outcry sufficient to be heard loudly and clearly in Tegucigalpa.  We, as members of the NGOs that do so much for the people of Honduras, should be encouraged by this.  Just maybe some people are seeing what we do, and want it to continue.

Foul Dealings With a Special Fowl

In October, I attended a meeting held at the Honduran consulate in Atlanta.  Hosted by the Consul, Sra. Emelisa Callejas, the attendees were addressed by various representatives of the Honduran government.  Officials came from Honduras, from the Embassy in Washington, DC, and from Atlanta.  There were about one hundred members of American NGOs and charitable organizations present.  All of us had paid for a chance to meet with representatives of the government of the people we are committed to help. 

We heard presentations by several departments of the Honduran government, ranging from dealing with import duties, long-range national planning goals, and security, to Customs.   We had the opportunity to individually discuss specific problems with the Consul, her staff and the other officials.

The one constant theme of the meeting was just how much the government appreciates the efforts of the NGOs.  The officials made specials effort to try to make it easier for groups such as ours to have effective communication with the government.  They acknowledged the important role that charitable groups play in Honduras, especially in providing medical care to the poor.  Recent emails from the Consulate tell of a new office opening in Atlanta for the expressed purpose of assisting NGOs working in Honduras.   Things are beginning to look as if the Honduran government realizes how much we do for their people, and they are even trying to show they appreciate the assistance.  This may be the case with the Atlanta Consulate, but meanwhile, back in Tegucigalpa they seem to have a different view. 

Most of us have waited in the long queue at the airport in San Pedro Sula to pay the $37 exit tax.  Despite paying large amount out of our own pocket for the chance to serve the people of Honduras, we are told to pay more money just leave the country.  The members of the Honduran government recently voted to increase the exit tax to $60 per person.  Now, besides having one of the highest murder rates in the world, they also have one of the highest exit taxes.  It’s good to see progress.

The tourist trade in Honduras is, let’s say, not flourishing.   The business climate is less than safe and friendly for foreign concerns.  The average Honduran doesn’t vacation abroad.  Who then, is the airport exit tax aimed at?  In my opinion it is at least partially aimed at the thousands of missioners and relief workers traveling to Honduras yearly.   The total amount of exit tax monies they receive now must be huge, considering that the government counts over 1200 NGOs working in Honduras.  Soon there will be a 60% increase in the amount you will have to pay to leave by plane, perhaps as soon as January.  (We wouldn't want to miss the beginning of mission season.)

What long term effects will this have?  Will this be the straw that breaks the camels back for many individuals, or mission teams, or even whole organizations?   What effect will it have on the people we serve?  How many people will not get our services because of this action?  What about hotels, restaurants, truck rentals and just about everything groups such as ours uses in Honduras.  Bluntly, this decision by the National Congress is shortsighted, greedy and shows a distinct lack of appreciation for the work done by NGOs in Honduras.   I hope they haven’t started to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.