On August 28th, a joint press conference was held with the Minister of Haitians Living Abroad, Stephanie Auguste, along with the Minister of Economy & Finance, Jude Alix Patrick Salamon.
The press event was held to address widespread public concern over a proposed 10,000 Gourde Transaction fee (≈ U.S. $158) and a rumored $186 repatriation tax that all Haitian diaspora would be required to pay upon return to Haiti.
Initial media speculation regarding the proposed fees sparked immediate backlash among Haitian nationals living abroad.
Minister Auguste dismissed the claims of a $186 tax on all Haitian diaspora upon their return to Haiti as false.
She also confirmed that no Haitian citizen living abroad would be required to pay a rumored $186 repatriation tax at any airport, consulate or embassy as a condition of receiving official Haitian government services.
The Minister of MHAVE did however clarify that the 10,000 Gourde tax would be imposed on all Haitian citizens conducting any type of transactions where official government services are required by DGI, Haiti’s official tax authority.
These include transactions such as:
- Importing a vehicle
- Selling a home
- Buying land in Haiti
Likewise, the Minister of Finance, Jude Alix Patrick Salamon, further confirmed that the 10,000 Goud tax would only be imposed on transactions where the government deemed income producing activities were involved.
Essentially, anyone engaging in any type of transaction where income producing activities are involved would be subject to paying the proposed tax.
He also stated that all those that could legally prove that they earned less than 60,000 Gourdes a year would be exempt from paying the proposed 10,000 Gourdes tax.
Minister Stephanie Auguste concluded her remarks by reassuring all citizens in the diaspora that they would not be required to pay any sort of fee to re-enter the country.
She encouraged all diaspora to come to Haiti to contribute, invest, vacation and simply enjoy their homeland.
For more information, you can listen to the full audio recording of the press conference posted on SoundCloud by Haiti’s Ministry of Communication.