Small tourism operators are still recovering from the Environment and Climate Adaptation Levy (ECAL) and the Service Turnover Tax (STT) they were subjected to for many years.

The comment was made by surfing business owner Uri Kurop, who recommended that tourist operators should not be unfairly taxed.

“Tourism itself has been rolled over for paying ECAL and STT for many years but no one in the room has seen a tourist throw rubbish,” Mr Kurop said.

“No one in the room has seen a tourist resort or area polluting their beaches and ocean.

“It is us as a country.”

Mr Kurop, a Fiji citizen, said it was on the Government to produce a tax regime for an industry that had been instrumental in contributing to Fiji’s GDP.

“While we are out there at the forefront making half of the country’s GDP and getting all these taxes put on us when it should be done at government level because it is a government initiative.

“We are all for it but try to hit us softly this time because we are still trying to recover from the ECAL and STT.

” Scuba diving operator Andrew Cole said with rising taxes, customers had started to view Fiji as a destination differently.

“Quite consistently getting comments from our customers saying that Fiji is a very expensive destination,” Mr Cole said.

“During the process of absorbing the ECAL and STT, the view was ‘the tourist can afford it’, but I can guarantee that most of the businesses here absorbed that cost ourselves and we are lucky to have survived it.

“If there is one more thing to come out of our pocket, then it will move us towards failing.”

Mr Cole said they did not need to be hit with another tax.