El Salvador Levies New Tax on
Visiting Boaters; Locals Unhappy
By: Capt. Pat Rains
The government of El Salvador announced two
new tariffs that affect visiting cruisers —
and dismay local marina owners.
The just-announced new law requires port
officials to charge $100 for clearing a
yacht into El Salvador and $40 to clear it
out with an exit Zarpe. Previously, the cost
of port clearance was limited to about $10
per tourist visa, and the Zarpe was free.
Included in the new law is a valuation tax,
which requires any owner of a foreign yacht
that stays in Salvadoran waters more than 60
days to pay 10 percent of the vessel’s value
in taxes.
“We are fighting it,” said Heriberto Pineda,
manager of Barillas Marina Club in Bahia
Jiquilisco, El Salvador. Barillas Marina is
the largest boating facility in the country,
providing 100 moorings, a fuel dock and
shore amenities within a huge ecological
park.
“We have spoken with the government, and (we
believe) this new law will be rescinded —
hopefully very soon,” Pineda said.
The new taxation comes at a critical time in
the tiny country’s foray into nautical
tourism. The Salvadoran tourism department
is currently sponsoring the inaugural El
Salvador Cruisers Rally, March 15-May 15 —
and the destination is Bahia del Sol Marina
in Bahia Jaltepeque, 25 nautical miles west
of Barillas.
Rally sponsors and organizers are hoping to
showcase El Salvador as a safe and
inexpensive cruising destination, attracting
hundreds of the yachting visitors who
normally travel between southern Mexico and
the Panama Canal this time of year. Breaking
bars guard the entrances to both marina
estuaries, so the use of the free local
panga guide service is essential for boaters
crossing the bar and entering the area.
Dozens of rally participants have already
arrived in Bahia del Sol, but hundreds more
are expected before May 15. Bahia del Sol
marina management has said it will provide a
$100 credit at the hotel and restaurants,
waiving the normal Cruisers Club fees, for
any rally participant who has to pay the new
port entrance fee.
Because El Salvador’s east/west-running
coastline is slightly south of normal
hurricane latitudes, the safe marinas and
estuaries here have become popular
summering-over destinations. That aspect of
nautical tourism faces almost-certain demise
if the 10 percent valuation tax is not
revoked before summer.
Visas or tourist cards obtained in
Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and
Nicaragua are valid in all four countries,
and visa holders can travel freely across
land borders without getting a new visa.
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