Departure tax harder to justify 

Editorial
Copyright 2001 The Manawatu Evening Standard
Article date: July 17, 2001
 

The flying public has had nearly nine years to get used to the idea that Palmerston North Airport is like no other regional airport in the country, in that passengers have to pay $3 to get out of it and on to the tarmac.

The departure tax -- the airport company is calling it a 'fee' now -- was introduced in 1992 to help pay for the revamped terminal building, and was continued to help pay for further extensions.

The logic seemed clear at the time.

The facility provided more benefit to users than ratepayers, so users should pay.

But now the fee is being credited with softening the blow of income lost through the Qantas collapse.

The company collects about $330,000 a year from the fee, and last year made a $509,868 operating profit.

It's getting harder to understand how the fee can continue to be justified.

Other airports choose to manage without one.

At $3 it may be mere parking meter money, but just because people have stopped grumbling about it doesn't make it fair.

And it still does nothing to send our much-needed visitors to the region away with a happy memory.
 

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