The state has received USD 68.11 million in green tax revenue over the first five months of this year, a 10 per cent increase from the USD 62.19 million collected during the same period last year, the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority reported in its May revenue publication.
This growth emerged despite a sharp 32 per cent decline in May collections, which fell to USD 8.95 million from the USD 13.23 million generated in May of the previous year. Officials attributed the downturn to fewer visitors linked to unrest in the Western Asia region, noting the tax is strictly tied to tourist arrivals.
The May contraction contrasted with robust performance earlier in the year, according to recent statistics. Revenue collections began at USD 14,388,142 in January and USD 12,990,356 in February, before peaking in March at USD 20,259,091. Standard collections then receded to USD 12,018,313 in April, ultimately reaching USD 8,991,664 in May.
Initiated in October 2016 to finance domestic environmental protection, the tax is levied on tourists across accommodations, exempting children under two. Visitors at resorts, hotels, and liveaboard vessels are charged USD 12, while those at local guesthouses pay USD 6. The government directs these revenues toward critical island projects, financing initiatives like water and sewerage development, coastal protection, clean environment projects, and local water systems.