In an alarming show of power, safari tourism lobbyists are blackmailing Vice President and Minister of Finance, Ndaba Gaolathe and Tourism Minister Wynter Mmolotsi into turning a blind eye to the country’s P8 billion tourism annual tax leakage or face possible collapse of Botswana’s tourism
The powerful lobby is holding Botswana’s tax sovereignty hostage, blocking implementation of reforms to the country’s tax legislation aimed at plugging the estimated P7.9 billion leak in tourism tax revenue.
Gaolathe recently published the Value Added Tax Amendment Bill, 2025 which aims to compel offshore tourism agents to register for VAT in Botswana. The bill published in the Government Gazette on August 8, 2025, and passed by the National Assembly on August 14, 2025 awaits a commencement date to be officially declared by the Minister of Finance.
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