We just returned from staying in a 3 bedroom last week. The government occupancy tax was $11.88 per night. The Environmental levy was $25 for the week.
Below is the letter I received from Marriott regarding the environmental levy prior to my stay.
August, 2013
Dear Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club Owner / Guest:
The Aruban government has implemented an Environmental Levy applicable to every hotel and timeshare stay in Aruba. Based on initial communications from the Aruba government, the Environmental Levy started as of August1, 2013. Below you will find an explanation of this new government requirement:
New proposed fiscal reform includes Environmental Levy
The Aruban government has adopted a policy to improve the tourist experience in Aruba through infrastructure and transportation improvements along with an overall improvement to the cleanliness of the island.
In 2010, the Aruban government reduced the turn-over tax (from 3% to 1.5%) to improve the purchasing power of both visitors and residents. In an effort to offset the lost revenue, the Aruba government made proposals to extend occupancy taxes to tax timeshare owners and exchangers.
These proposals were successfully challenged by the management company along with the Aruba Timeshare Association.
However, in order to fund and implement the desired improvements, the government engaged in dialogue with the business community and the unions, on methods to generate the necessary revenue. As a result a fiscal reform program has been approved by the Parliament in July. This fiscal reform includes an Environmental Levy that will impact the entire tourism community including timeshare owners and exchangers. This Environmental Levy applicable to timeshare owners was applied to arrivals starting August 1st, 2013 as previously discussed. We strongly disagreed with the concept of timeshare owners being taxed to occupy a timeshare interest that they own. As your management company we worked independently and with the industry to mitigate the implementation of this levy. While these efforts didn’t eliminate the tax, they significantly reduce the impact from the initial proposals.
For Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club Owners staying at their home resort: The levy is a fixed fee per stay: $10 per studio, $15 per one bedroom and $25 per two (or more) bedrooms.
For exchanges into the Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club: The levy is also a fixed fee per stay: $10 per studio, $15 per one bedroom and $25 per two (or more) bedrooms.
For Timeshare Renters: The levy is $3 per occupied unit (not per person) per night charge. This means that for a 5 night stay, the Environmental Levy would be $15 total for the unit.
Concurrently, the government has provided the concession to timeshare owners by adopting legislation that it will not tax the owners association’s reserves slated to fund resort renovations. This is matter that the management company has been working to mitigate with your Board of Directors for a few years so this is welcome news.
In the event this Environmental Levy was not included in your reservation at time of booking, you will see the charge reflected on your room folio at time of checkout for all stays as of August1st, 2013.
To further assist you in understanding the implications of the Environmental Levy we have also included frequently asked questions regarding the impact of this tax when staying in one of our Aruba resorts.
Sincerely,
General Manager
Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club
