Rio de Janiero’s mayor-elect Marcello Crivella has come up with a plan that would reimburse tourists who were mugged during their visits. Crivella has proposed a “tourist tax” similar to the plan made by Barcelona mayor Ada Colau earlier this year. The tax is a fee that tourists would have to pay if they visited the city during the day, but didn’t stay overnight. This is meant to make up for what they don’t pay for hotels or meals.
Crivella’s plan, however, lays out a system in which the money generated by the tourist tax would be used to reimburse tourists who were mugged in the city. In his statement to the press, he said, “Rio de Janeiro cannot continue treating its tourists as if they were an afterthought.” It’ll be awhile before we find out if this plan goes into effect. If it does, it’ll be sometime after Crivella’s inauguration on January 1st, 2017.
At the 2016 Rio Olympic Games this past summer, a number of high-profile muggings occured involving Olympic athletes and national team staff members occurred. One of those athletes was Australian swimmer Josh Palmer, who was apporached by a mugger and forced to withdraw $1,000 from an ATM.
First installment in Lochte Jr.’s college fund.