By FAY SIMMONS

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

The Ministry of Finance’s top official yesterday said revenues generated from the $300 per ton levy on cruise ship waste will be used to upgrade Family Island landfills “significantly stressed by the industry.

Simon Wilson, the financial secretary, peaking at the Rotary Club of West Nassau, said the proceeds from the new levy implemented in the 2025-2026 Budget will not be placed in the Government’s consolidated fund, where all its regular tax revenues are deposited. Instead, the monies will upgrade waste facilities on Family Islands that have become strained due to increased cruise tourism.

He added that cruise ship private island destinations have caused some landfills to become “significantly stressed”, and the measure was implemented to protect the environment.

“In this year’s fiscal measures, the Government imposed a $300 per ton levy on cruise ship waste. And that money is not to go into the consolidated fund, but go back to preserving and enhancing landfills in the Family Islands,” said Mr Wilson.

“Those of you who know the Family Islands, you go into Eleuthera, Abaco, the Berry Islands, any place where there is significant cruise activity on shore, you’ll see those landfills under significant stress because they were not designed for the populations the cruise ship will bring.”

Mr Wilson said The Bahamas is now receiving more than 10m cruise passengers annually, who generate waste that usually ends up in one of the country’s landfills. He highlighted that the waste system in the Berry Islands was designed to accommodate 2,000 persons, but now has to manage volumes generated by up to four million cruise passengers due to the activity at Coco Cay.

“Right now, for example, we have ten million cruise visitors a year coming to the country. Those cruise visitors make a lot of waste. Some of the waste is recycled in the cruise ships and a lot of that waste, even recycled waste, ends up in the landfill. And, in fact, in some of the private destinations, they actually barge the waste to New Providence to be disposed of,” Mr Wilson added.

“In the Berry Islands, for example, the landfill is designed for 2,000 people. Now with Coco Cay, you have around 3.5m to four million persons. That waste gotta go some place. That waste is not going to be barged to Florida, no matter how much cruise ships try to convince you that makes economical sense. So, for us, that’s the major fiscal risk. How do we protect and preserve our environment?”

Mr Wilson stressed the importance of maintaining The Bahamas’ environment as a tool to ensure future economic growth, and defended the levy, saying: “Those who use the environment should pay for the environment.

“The environment is very, very important to us. And we have to take steps to protect our environment, because it is our environment that drives growth. The Bahamas is The Bahamas because of the beautiful sun, the sand and the sea, as well as our proximity to the United States, our largest market,” said Mr Wilson.

“People come here because of the environment. So there has to be investment in maintaining and preserving this environment that we have here, and that investment is funded by tax dollars. And our philosophy has always been those who use the environment should pay for the environment.”