The Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana (HATAB) has warned government against increasing income tax rates, decrying that the strategy could hinder the recovery of the tourism sector. The warning is contained in HATAB’s position paper titled “HATAB 2025/2026 Budget Expectations,” released ahead of the recent budget speech by Finance Minister Ndaba Gaolathe. According to HATAB, the tourism industry is still struggling to rebound from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and requires more time to fully recover. “A tax increase would hamper the recovery. We, therefore, expect government to maintain the current tax rate and not raise it,” reads part of the paper.
HATAB emphasized the importance of maintaining a favourable tax…