(Bloomberg) -- Kenya, known for iconic safaris featuring animals from wildebeests to elephants and lions, plans to charge a 1% levy on entry fees to parks, reserves and conservancies to fund wildlife conservation.
The money will go into a so-called Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund to help manage and restore protected areas and conservancies, as well as protect endangered species, according to a statement on the National Treasury’s website.
Tourism is Kenya’s biggest source of foreign exchange behind diaspora remittances and farm exports. The number of visitors to its national parks and game reserves grew 43% to 3.64 million in 2023, according to official data.
The Treasury has given the public until Dec. 6 to comment. The government has become more consultative on introducing new taxes since it was forced to scrap a raft of new ones after deadly anti-government protests earlier this year left at least 60 people dead.
“Careful assessment and building consensus are essential to ensure that future environment-related levies do not face social and political pushback,” the International Monetary Fund said after approving the nation’s seventh and eighth program reviews early this month.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
