The Maldivian government has submitted a proposal to raise the taxes levied on passengers departing from Velana International Airport (VIA).

The amendments to the Airport Departure Tax Act will be presented to the parliament in its upcoming session starting Monday.

Key changes in the proposal include adjustments to the departure fees for various passenger categories:

• Foreign economy class passengers: fee increase from $30 to $50.
• No change for Maldivian economy class passengers.
• Business class passengers: fee increase from $60 to $120.
• First class passengers: fee increase from $90 to $240.
• Private jet passengers: fee increase from $120 to $480.

These changes are expected to take effect from December 2024.

The government anticipates that the tax increase will generate an additional MVR 1.6 billion in revenue. The primary goal is to enhance the country’s foreign reserves, as the collected taxes will be in U.S. dollars.