The Association of Bahamas Marinas (ABM) has launched an online portal designed to collect and remit fees paid by yacht charters and privately owned boats for cruising throughout The Bahamas.
The portal was developed with the knowledge that the government had long dealt with the issue of collecting these cruising fees, which partly comprises a four percent tax on the fees for chartering a private vessel, an ABM press statement revealed.
The ABM noted that its sector generates tens of millions in revenue for the economy and the Sea-Z Pass available on its portal will allow easier payment of fees and eliminate tedious paper processes.
“The Association of Bahamas Marinas is proud to have finally achieved, on behalf of its 37 marina operating members and 50 allied members, the development of an online portal, the Bahamas Sea-Z Pass, designed to facilitate visiting leisure boating traffic to complete the formal procedures for entering the country,” the statement noted.
“The Sea-Z Pass will be a welcome boon to marina operators in The Bahamas and their customers.”
The Customs Department recently expanded its three-year-old Click2Clear online “single window” facility to include processing of cruising permits for incoming marine traffic.
The ABM stated its portal was developed after more than ten years of trying to work with the government to change the process of collecting cruising fees.
“The ABM, being aware that the government had long been failing to receive revenue due from a four percent tax on fees paid for charters of privately owned vessels, decided to create an online portal to do so,” the ABM revealed.
“This resulted in the development, in consultation with the Bahamas Port Department, of the Sea-Z Pass, which is now capable of processing applications for charter licenses and collecting the appropriate fees and directing them to the government.
“It is our objective that Sea-Z will eventually serve the recreational boater as a one-stop portal for processing all applications for licenses and permits and for payment of relevant fees for delivery to the Treasury.”
The ABM explained in its statement that it has developed its payment portal in partnership with Omni Financial Group Ltd., a Bahamian company with a well-established record of handling financial matters on the government’s behalf, including the launch of the Central Bank’s Sand Dollar digital currency.
The ABM stated it welcomed the government’s decision to take fee collection for the boating sector online and revenue collection through both the public and private sectors should direct more revenue to the Treasury.
“In our advocacy, we have lobbied for legislative changes that will make our country more viable in the increasingly competitive yacht cruising business, increased Bahamian career and ownership opportunities in the sector and strategies that will deliver greater tax revenue for the government,” the ABM’s statement noted.
The post Marinas association launches online portal to collect fees appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/marinas-association-launches-online-portal-to-collect-fees/
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