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Aussie holidays more taxing than any other
By Andrew Dawson Australian travellers are among the most taxed in the world, leading a tourism group to call for an inquiry. Federal Tourism Task Force chief executive Christopher Brown called for the Senate inquiry into industry taxes following fears airline passengers might be slugged with a new levy. Mr Brown said there was a "creeping number of environmental levies and user-pays charges which are thinly disguised taxes, some of which are commendable, some deplorable". "We support a Senate inquiry into the tourism industry so we can take stock of taxes and check them against international benchmarking," Mr Brown said. "The World Travel and Tourism Council claims Australia is in the top percentage of taxes in the world and it is the fastest growing." Mr Brown said the tourism industry could not afford to and did not want to pay for increased airport security. Queensland Tourism Industry Council chairman Gary Smith said there were many "hidden charges" involved in travelling, not including the GST. "The Queensland Tourism Industry Council does not have a major problem with this in terms of concept but the quantum of these charges are making it expensive for people to travel," Mr Smith said. "Anything that is a disincentive for people to travel is a bad thing." A tourist travelling one-way on Virgin Blue from Brisbane to Cairns will pay $29.61 in taxes on a $169 ticket. Car hire at Cairns airport can include 6.43 per cent in charges aside from GST, while one reef trip operator slugs tourists with a $4 "environmental management charge". Other fees include a "national park fee"
and various council levies. |
