The Iranian Parliament has approved the government's proposal to increase departure tax in the next Iranian year (starting March 21), albeit with the exception of pilgrimage.
According to Ali Asghar Yousefnejad, the spokesman of Majlis Joint Commission, the tax for religious trips, which is currently 375,000 rials ($8) for air travel and 125,000 rials ($3) for road travel, will remain the same.
Besides, pilgrims to the Iraqi city of Karbala on the occasion of Arbaeen, the 40th-day anniversary after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (PBUH), will be exempt from the payment, ISNA reported.
Many Iranians travel to the Iraqi city of Karbala, where the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (PBUH) is located, to perform mourning rites on Arbaeen.
"However, the levy for non-religious trips is 750,000 rials ($16) at present, which will increase next year, but it is up to the government to determine the rate," he said.
Yousefnejad added that a fixed price has not been designated in the budget law for the next year, but the government is expecting to earn 12 trillion rials ($255 million) from the departure tax revenues next year.
The budget bill submitted by President Hassan Rouhani to the parliament in early December 2017 proposed a threefold increase in departure tax to reach 2.2 million rials ($47) from the current 750,000 rials ($16). The new fee was to rise by 50% for the second trip and 100% for the third and subsequent visits over a one-year period.
It raised widespread concerns among the tourism community who believed it would negatively affect the middle class while also creating challenges for those who travel for business or educational purposes.
According to government officials, parts of the earnings from the rise in departure tax was planned to be spent on developing tourism infrastructures and improving cultural heritage and handicraft sectors.
The current share of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of each departure tax is 100,000 rials ($3), which would increase to 400,000 rials ($9) following the enactment of the law.
"The tax is expected to generate 1.6 trillion rials ($34 million) for ICHHTO next year," Ali Asghar Mounesan, the head of the Organization, said.
