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.
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