Rafting operators on Bali’s Telaja Waja River are rejecting calls from the Karangasem Regency to collect a tax of tourists following a rafting trip, claiming such a practice would only worsen the operators’ already precarious financial position.
The current low demand for rafting trips has slashed incomes and employment opportunities. Because of the current business climate, rafting operators would refuse to collect the tax demanded by the Karangasem Regency. Approximately 80 paying rafting customers are needed each day to cover operating expenses, only an average 12-20 customers have taken a rafting trip over the past several months. Rafting operators are having severe problems making payroll for their staff drawn from surrounding communities in northeast Bali.The rafting operators were told to begin collecting a tax from each rafting customer, although a formal socialization on how the tax is to be collected and paid to the Regency has yet to take place. For the immediate future, Telaga Waja rafting operators appear united in their refusal to charge the subject tax, worrying that such an additional cost would only worsen current financial difficulties.