Parliament on Thursday accepted for consideration a bill proposing to levy an airport development charge on passengers flying out of the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA).
The bill was tabled on behalf of the Government by Gah’dhoo MP Ahmed Rasheed.
The Government proposed in the State Budget for 2017 to impose an Airport Development Charge (ADC) from all outbound passengers.
MP Ahmed Rasheed said the bill seeks to provide statutory legal backing to impose the Airport Service Charge.
He noted the importance of the bill as the development fee is included in the raft of measures proposed by the Government to cut spending and increase revenue.
During debate on the bill, Government-aligned lawmakers spoke in support of the bill, citing that such an income was vital for the development of the airport.
However, many lawmakers argued against imposing the fee on local passengers.