And so, the tax on nature debate rages on. The latest, as you may have heard, is a plan to make everyone pay ISK 1,500 for a three-year pass to be able to travel around Iceland. Because Iceland is in EFTA and because it is illegal to exempt Icelanders from things that EFTA residents have to pay for, we Nicelanders will also have to pony up if we, say, want to go for an evening stroll around Þingvellir. Granted, the pass is good for three years, and ISK 1,500 doesnt exactly break the bank for most of us, but still - its the principle of the thing. Also, how are they going to enforce it? Nature police roaming the highlands, asking you for your pass? And if you dont have one, what then? Also, this nature pass wont stop private landowners for charging for access to their own land, which is another chapter altogether. SIGH. There are no easy solutions, it seems. I think most of us, though, can agree that SOMETHING has to be done. With a million tourists set to come to Iceland this year, we cant wait any longer to start measures to preserve our delicate nature. Any thoughts?
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 15:19:32 +0000