Bali to Impose Tourist Tax

The Indonesian island of Bali loves tourists. The economy of Bali thrives on tourism.

But officials on the island are tired of some of the antics from some tourists.

That’s one reason why Bali plans to impose a tax on tourists.

The tax is not meant to keep jurors away. Rather, it is to remind visitors that some things are just unacceptable on the idyllic island. For some reason, people seem to think that the quiet and slow pace of Bali is comparable to the wild nature of a place like Ibiza, for instance.

The government has deported 136 people this year alone.

That includes a German woman who stripped at a temple and an American man who defaced a police car. That has prompted the government to include a list of do’s and don’ts in visitor passports when they arrive in Bali.

The tax on visitors will amount to about $10 and will be implemented next year. The tax is meant to dissuade visitors from acting up in the hopes they don’t want to lose even more money by being deported.

Tourists are also no longer allowed to ride motorbikes for failing to obey local traffic laws. A general disrespect for local customs and laws has been prevalent among tourists. Bali officials even cited the case of 17 tourists who rented one home and then lodged a complaint with police about crowing roosters next door.

A tourism tax is not unusual in some countries. And it can go by different names. In the United States, for instance, many hotels tack on a fee to stay in the hotel on top of the room rate.