lemurs2
Contributor
I found a good price on airfare to Papua New Guinea but then the taxes on it was over $600! yikes! Is it the PNG government that does that?
Why are airfare taxes so much?
- Thread starter lemurs2
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The amount of taxes you pay are a direct reflection on the city councils, state and federal Representatives/Senators which you elect. These people control the purse strings of the agencies which control all aspects of your life. These are the people who allow, through regulation and law, for these entities to issue the additional charges you pay. Most are mandatory. Think about this before the next elections. If you have a tendency to vote for a candidate from a tax-happy political party, you have only yourself to blame.
Security requirements and the costs they represent also play a large role. The money must come from somewhere.....
I think a lot has to do with the way the airlines price their product these days. It used to be that you were quoted a price for a ticket that included everything, including a travel agent's commission, if any. Now they give a price but say that you are responsible for any taxes and fees. These "taxes" are whatever the airline says they are, including notional charge-backs for landing fees, gate concessions, homeland security, fuel, etc. Even when redeeming frequent flyer miles for a "free" ticket, you are charged for this. In reality it's nothing but another way to generate revenue for the airlines, similar to excess-baggage fees, wrong-size baggage fees, itinerary-change fees, fuel surcharges and the like.
OP
lemurs2
Contributor
I did a break down of the airfare tax and the largest amount is set up by the PNG government and from what I've read about how disorganized the govt is there I can understand why they charge so much
The good thing, is that the ticket shows HOW much the air fare is, and then HOW MUCH you are paying in taxes. This shows how much you are paying to the government. In many countries, (other than the USA) you are only told how much the item costs ... AND YOU have no idea of how much you are paying for taxes.
Air fare is not the only thing, take a look at how much you pay for hotel tax in a city such as Chicago, or NYC. Or the stupid "bottle tax" in Ft. Lauderdale ...
Air fare is not the only thing, take a look at how much you pay for hotel tax in a city such as Chicago, or NYC. Or the stupid "bottle tax" in Ft. Lauderdale ...
cbborromeo
Contributor
1. Corruption is rampant throughout the PNG government and I'm sure some of that $600 goes into someone's pocket.
2. PNG economy is weak and they rely on visitor taxes/fees to help support their economy.
3. The FAA will not let flights into the US unless airports comply with some rigorous security and airport maintenance standards. For a country like PNG to afford luggage x-ray machines, added security and all those other things that FAA mandates, amounts to a huge cost. Sorts of offsets the reason why they want tourists to visit.
As Doc said, the $ has to come from somewhere!
Addendum for mred on NYC: While NYC taxes are some of the highest in the nation, as much as 80% of city taxes is spent on the whole state and not in the city itself. The money is spent on paving those rural roads in the pine barrens so the kids can get to school. That said, we have some of the best infrastructure iof any city in the world, including a 24/7 subway system. I have no problem paying taxes if I know it's being put to good use, rather than being wasted on new ICBM's (for example).
2. PNG economy is weak and they rely on visitor taxes/fees to help support their economy.
3. The FAA will not let flights into the US unless airports comply with some rigorous security and airport maintenance standards. For a country like PNG to afford luggage x-ray machines, added security and all those other things that FAA mandates, amounts to a huge cost. Sorts of offsets the reason why they want tourists to visit.
As Doc said, the $ has to come from somewhere!
Addendum for mred on NYC: While NYC taxes are some of the highest in the nation, as much as 80% of city taxes is spent on the whole state and not in the city itself. The money is spent on paving those rural roads in the pine barrens so the kids can get to school. That said, we have some of the best infrastructure iof any city in the world, including a 24/7 subway system. I have no problem paying taxes if I know it's being put to good use, rather than being wasted on new ICBM's (for example).
My guess is that a lot of "underdeveloped" countries do not have a lot of domestic air travelers and need to gain the revenue to support their airports from the visitors who actually use the services the most.
