Asata to lobby for BEE Tomsa credit

ASATA is to make a submission to the Tourism Empowerment Council of South Africa asking that its members receive equal BEE Score Card credit to other tourism industry members who pay the Tourism Marketing Levy for South Africa (Tomsa). Asata ceo, Robyn Christie, said Tomsa-paying tourism industry members automatically received three points towards to the socio-economic development and industry specific element of the draft BEE Tourism Sector Score Card. She said travel agents didn’t contribute to Tomsa because they didn’t market South Africa internationally, but should not be disadvantaged as a result in terms of the code. She pointed out that if agents were to pay Tomsa, consumers would pay a double tax on products already levied by the suppliers. The voluntary Tomsa levy was set up in 1999 to assist SA Tourism with marketing South Africa internationally. The Tourism Business Council SA collects the levy, which, depending on the industry sector, consists of a 1% addition to accounts or rates. In 2006 the industry through TOMSA contributed some R60m to marketing South Africa abroad. Current contributors comprise accommodation providers, car-hire companies and tour operators. The trade has until August 20 to comment on the proposed Code to the Department of Trade and Industry either at bee-tourism@thedti.gov.za or Private Bag X84, Pretoria, 0001. The document can be downloaded from www.pmg.org.za/gazettes. Hilka Birns (hilka@icon.co.za)