Rio proposes ‘mugging tax’ for tourists

THE Brazilian city has come up with a bizarre way of dealing with the huge numbers of tourists who are mugged on the city’s streets.

In this Nov. 20, 2013 photo, municipal guards chase a gang of thieves that robbed bags and wallets from beachgoers on Arpoador beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Gang raids known as “arrastoes,” or “big drags” in Portuguese, spread alarm through a city gearing up to host soccer’s World Cup in just over six months and the Summer Olympics in 2016. (AP Photo/Marcelo Carnaval, Agencia o Globo)

THE new Mayor-elect of Rio de Janeiro wants to introduce a bizarre tourist “mugging tax” to raise compo payouts for those visitors robbed in the street.

According to The Sun, the payout pot could be funded by a hike on taxes for air passengers, Marcelo Crivella told business leaders at a special tourism lunch event. “Rio de Janeiro cannot continue treating its tourists as if they were an afterthought,” Crivella said as he called for action to shatter the “negative image” of the city. After being mugged — one of the major crimes in the country — tourists would appeal to the Rio authorities for the compensation. However, travel industry leaders have expressed concern the charge is just as off-putting as Rio’s rocketing crime rate. “Creating such a tax makes no sense, unless the aim is to discourage tourism in Rio de Janeiro,” Mário Beni, who has served on the UN’s World Committee on Tourism Ethics, told The New York Times. The city is infamous for its high levels of street crime. Ahead of this year’s Olympics, Rio officials declared a “state of public calamity” as street robberies for the month reached 8,000 — more than twice the usual amount. In August, a video emerged apparently showing 27 separate incidents of pick-pocketing and daylight street robbery of tourists in Rio. The new idea has also caused consternation among residents of the crime-ridden city, who receive no such financial protection from the authorities. “I was in the room when he proposed the idea,” said Alfredo Lopes, president of Rio’s Hotel Association. “The first thing that came to mind is, ‘If you’re going to reimburse tourists, then as a citizen of Rio, I want my reparations, too.’” In June, Rio police rolled out a banner reading “Welcome to hell” in the arrivals hall at the city’s international airport, during demonstrations against funding cuts within the emergency services. Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said violent crime, including muggings and armed robbery, was “significant” in Brazil’s major cities and particularly in Rio. “Petty crime such as pickpocketing and bag snatching is also common, including by thieves on motorcycles. Thieves operate in outdoor markets, in hotels and on and around public transport,” DFAT said. “You are advised to avoid wearing jewellery and expensive watches, or carrying valuable items. Dress down and carry minimal cash and credit cards, as victims are often targeted for perceived wealth or value of personal possessions. “If you are attacked or robbed do not resist. Thieves are often armed and you could be seriously injured or killed.” This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission.