28 Jun 2005

Cooks departure tax to go up five NZ dollars and be renamed a gift

7:20 pm on 28 June 2005

Visitors leaving the Cook Islands will soon be asked to pay an increased departure tax that has been rebranded a gift.

In the budget, the Finance Minister, Sir Geoffrey Henry, announced that the departure tax would be replaced with Te Pakau Aroa.

The fee will go from 25 New Zealand dollars to 30.

Sir Geoffrey explains how the extra money will be used:

"The intention is that three dollars fifty of the five dollars will go towards waste management, one dollar will go towards cultural development and fifty cents will go towards the establishment of the Heritage Trust."

Sir Geoffrey hopes the budget will be approved by the end of the week.