The Mountaineering Reform Committee organized by Nepal's Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation recently submitted a report to the government, recommending reforms to the climbing tax collection method, the opening of 32 new peaks, and enhanced management of high-altitude areas in border regions.
The report, submitted to the government two days ago, suggests abolishing the group-based climbing tax collection and instead charging every foreigner in each Everest expedition team $11,000.
Under the current policy, for a seven-person expedition team, the Nepalese government collects $70,000 during the spring climbing season — $10,000 per person — while in the autumn season, the total is only $35,000, or $5,000 per person. Clearly, if this recommendation is adopted by the government, climbing Everest will become even more expensive.