Somaliland: Airport Levy and Security Bill Approved

[Xaaji Xunjuf]

Saturday, 02 February 2013 16:11

Legislators approve Airport levy & Security lawBy: Yusuf M Hasan

HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) - Every passenger flying into or out of the country will pay a mandatory $10 airport levy.

The House of Representatives has approved the Airport Levy and Security Bill at a session with a quorum of 49 members and chaired by deputy speaker Hon Bashe Mohamed Farah.

After days of debates the lower chamber of parliament the Airport Levy and Security Bill received approval through 46 yes votes, while two members voted against as another abstained thus allow the bill to be forwarded to Guurti which is the upper chamber of the house for either approval or rejection.

The legislator's approval comes after the original draft bill presented by the ministry of Aviation and Air transported saw several amendments made to it by the parliamentary Economy, Finance and Commerce Committee-PEF&CC.

If Guurti rejects the bill it shall be returned to the House of Representatives for amendments but if it receives approval by the Elders then it shall be forwarded to the president for signature thus became law.

The approval bill legalizes the collection of a mandatory $10 levied on all passengers above 15 years of age upon entry and departure from the country's international airports.

While the government has the authority over all services and tax collection at the airports the bill gives the Aviation ministry authority to delegate the services to any entity it deems fit for the duty.

The law also gives the Auditor General authority to undertake audit activities as and when necessary as a deterrence against malfeasance by either or both the collector and ministry personnel.

Though $10 airport levy charged passenger is now undergoing legalizing procedures it has been in existence for almost two years.

When submitting the draft bill to the House of Representatives earlier this month, the minister of aviation upon grilling by members informed that the levy was collected by the National Airport Services and Handling Agency-NASHA, which is a private company.

It is therefore expected that the ministry of aviation in pursuit of powers now confer by the law shall once again delegate, but officially this time, the collection of the airport levy to NASHA.

On the other hand, and without disrespect to the August house of parliament, the query remains as per reasons behind the never ending quorum of between 32 & 49 in a chamber with a membership 82 honourables.

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[Somalia]

Xaaji Xunjuf;914866 wrote:

Though $10 airport levy charged passenger is now undergoing legalizing procedures it has been in existence for almost two years.

[nuune]

Not attracting tourists, misleading article, well last time I was there, there was a compulsary $30 when leaving out of Hargeisa/Berbera, and when arriving they take $100 from you and give you thier own exchange rates, so in essence, from that $100, you ONLY get aroung $60-70 dollars exchanged for you into SL-Shilling.

 

 

Are they going to waive that, and introduce this new fee of $10 which is already in place as hidden fees, then I support it, but not on top of what is already being levied on travellers.

 

$10 already in place as hidden fees

$40 when entering paid in exchange rate

$30 when leaving out at the airport

 

Total: $80 airport FEES, that was 3 years ago, now must be higher

[Alpha Blondy]

Nuune,

 

i've got a full multiple entry yearly residence visa here and i've never be subjected to these fees.

 

don't be so hasty in your attempts to denigrate somaliland. what is this $80 you speak off?

[Abu-Salman]

Nuune you are right that this may be too much for students and other groups (waiver needed) but in general anything that target the elite and raise revenue is badly needed.

 

You realise we pay $50 dollars for visa if on foreign passports each time we come back to Djib;

taxation is way too low in Sland against big traders and diaspora and misspent on politicians/security when revenue is badly needed for essential drugs or infrastructure.

[Coofle]

nuune;914868 wrote:

Not attracting tourists, misleading article, well last time I was there, there was a compulsary $30 when leaving out of Hargeisa/Berbera, and when arriving they take $100 from you and give you thier own exchange rates, so in essence, from that $100, you ONLY get aroung $60-70 dollars exchanged for you into SL-Shilling.

 

 

Are they going to waive that, and introduce this new fee of $10 which is already in place as hidden fees, then I support it, but not on top of what is already being levied on travellers.

 

$10 already in place as hidden fees

$40 when entering paid in exchange rate

$30 when leaving out at the airport

 

Total: $80 airport FEES, that was 3 years ago, now must be higher

Those are only imposed on foreigners (Specifically Reer koonfur) .... my last time was 2011 and I paid no dime...Ironically while on the road from Berbera to Hargeisa I wanted to drink some Tuulo shaax, unfortunately the smallest bill in my pocket was 100$ bill.

[nuune]

Alpha, you are an exception, no need to say I am defaming Somaliland, I had much interest as you do, maybe my love for Somaliland is bigger than yours, after all, you are NGO, and milking the Somaliland people

 

I paid the mentioned fees on multiple times, thanks to your multiple visa entry, we are not same, I don't have visa

 

Coofle, well I didn't have Somaliland passport, and I wasn't Konfurian

 

 

Abu Salman, they just need to open the place for tourists, and reduction of fees is good way of getting revenue, numbers multiply

[Coofle]

Being a Somalilander is not a matter of passport! ...... Halkaasi in la sii balbalaadhiyo ayay u baahantahay.

[nuune]

Waa sax, maybe my accent wasn't the best afterall, since I had a Baajuni accent, my first word was, see camal waraa, then the fees came in

[Mintid Farayar]

nuune;914902 wrote:

Waa sax, maybe my accent wasn't the best afterall, since I had a Baajuni accent, my first word was, see camal waraa, then the fees came in

[Coofle]

nuune;914902 wrote:

Waa sax, maybe my accent wasn't the best afterall, since I had a Baajuni accent, my first word was, see camal waraa, then the fees came in

loooolzz

 

Waliba Avoid saying "Baajuuni" while in Somaliland....The word have a different meaning down there.

[Ibtisam]

IT used to be that Somalis- regardless of WHERE in the Somali inhabited areas they come from or which Somali passport they carry are charged the same $10 entry fee. It makes no difference IF you are a Somalilander if you are carrying a foreign non Somali passport for your travel you pay $34 entry visa on your foreign passport and the same amount when leaving. Unless you have a multiple entry Visa or a residence (in which case you pay $14 each way). The bank is no longer based there, so no more exchanging anything. You pay in dollars or SL for your visa and go.

 

The other proposed change in this legislation is for ALL passports other than Somaliland's passports to pay the foreign fees. So the various Somalia passports including the OLD Somalia passport and Djibouti will pay the same as the British, where as before just for being Somali they paid the same as Somalilanders.

 

This $10 security handling fee, plus the $34 is still only $44 which is well in line with International Standards. I'm glad the exchange thing is gone though- although now you are forced to give the guys who carry your bags $ instead of your exchanged SL.

[N.O.R.F]

Want to know where this started?

 

ps any pics of the work done to the airports anywhere?

[nuune]

Ibti thanks for clarifying that, I clearly remember what I paid.

 

 

Now that Alpha needs some update on airports in Somalialnd, does he really come through Wajaale to enter Somaliland, it looks like to avoid tax.

[Mintid Farayar]

Xaaji Xunjuf;914866 wrote:

When submitting the draft bill to the House of Representatives earlier this month, the minister of aviation upon grilling by members informed that the levy was collected by the National Airport Services and Handling Agency-NASHA, which is a private company.

It is therefore expected that the ministry of aviation in pursuit of powers now confer by the law shall once again delegate, but officially this time, the collection of the airport levy to NASHA.

 

Why is the contract awarded to a private company? Why not train a professional airport civil service that's paid a 'livable' wage to institutionalize services within government bureaucracies.

 

Me thinks, we're following the bad precedents of other African and Arab states....