TCI: PNP hosts Town Meeting

#Providenciales, August 16, 2018 – Turks and Caicos – The Opposition Progressive National Party believes the Government is making a mistake in its move to change how service charge fees are paid out to hospitality workers.  Leader of the Opposition, Washington Misick during a town meeting in Provo, hosted by the PNP said in some cases workers will get less if the law is changed and resorts will be hard hit by the loss in revenue.

“There are expenses that the resort has as it relates to the staff and other ways of keeping that hotel providing that service, particular if it’s a five star destination or a five star property.”

The former finance minister, who is also a former hotel owner explained that resorts are not as profitable as they appear to be, and slammed the idea of capping the proposed facility fee in the new ordinance due to be debated in the House of Assembly in late September.

“It is ignoring the difference in the quality of service that their delivering, so you’re actually interfering in free commerce.  So I think while it is fair that workers should get the 10% service charge as it is now being proposed, the facility fee should not be dictated by the government.  The facility fee should be based on the qulity of the service, and in a high end jurisdiction where people are expecting better service and are prepared to pay for it, I think that it would be wrong for the government to dictate to private sector how much they should charge.”