( Real News Antigua)Chairman of the United Progressive Party (UPP) D. Gisele Isaac says the increase in airport taxes will further restrict travelling,
regionally and internationally.
Finance Minister Gaston Browne announced, last week, that there
will be a “small increase” in airport taxes in order to generate the
revenue needed to meet the obligations of operating the airport.
The funds will also be used to ensure that the US$40 million being
borrowed by the Airport Authority is repaid.
Many people are unhappy about this planned increase, complaining
that airline tickets are already burdened with taxes.
Isaac says that travel has been challenging in recent times, and it
will become even more complicated at this time, when people are
truly struggling to make ends meet.
Meanwhile, Franz deFreitas, the United Progressive Party (UPP)
caretaker for St. John’s City South, says the Government has been
doing nothing with the tax revenues it already collects, and yet it is
looking to increase the rates.
This point is borne out by the country’s poor infrastructure and its
ailing healthcare system, deFreitas says.
It is already very costly to travel, he adds, and the increased airport
tax is going to impact many people – especially those who are sick
and struggling and have to go abroad for medical treatment.
