{"id":224817,"date":"2025-02-09T19:49:29","date_gmt":"2025-02-09T23:49:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=224817"},"modified":"2025-02-10T12:12:35","modified_gmt":"2025-02-10T16:12:35","slug":"antigua-government-in-talks-with-sandals-over-taxes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/antigua-government-in-talks-with-sandals-over-taxes\/","title":{"rendered":"Antigua Government in Talks with Sandals Over Taxes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The government of Antigua and Barbuda is engaged in negotiations with Sandals Resorts International to resolve outstanding tax payments and revise concession agreements to ensure greater financial transparency and fairness in tax contributions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking on Pointe FM, Prime Minister Gaston Browne said his administration is working to address concerns over head tax and room tax payments, as well as Sandals\u2019 deductions for marketing expenses, which he believes have significantly reduced the resort\u2019s tax obligations.<\/p>

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\u201cThey\u2019ve been reporting a head tax of about $300 per guest, but anyone staying at Sandals knows that they\u2019re not paying $300 a night. We need full transparency on how these taxes are being calculated,\u201d Browne stated.<\/p>

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Under existing agreements, Sandals has been allowed to deduct marketing and operational costs from its taxable revenue. However, Browne said that these deductions have been excessive, reducing the resort\u2019s tax liability beyond reasonable levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve been deducting marketing expenses that cut deeply into their tax contributions, and when you look at the ads, they are just generic Sandals branding, not Antigua-specific promotions,\u201d he noted.<\/p>

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As part of the renegotiation, the government is considering:<\/p>\n\n\n\n