Taxed out

Another silly tax added to airline tickets as soon as the airline security bill is signed by the President. Up to $10.00 RT! Add that on to the other three taxes on airline tickets and we are seeing some serious money.

Why don't they use the billion plus dollars that is sitting in the airport trust fund to pay for the added security costs. Before long the cost of taxes will be more than the ticket cost.

Before this gets deleted

This is a thread guaranteed to be removed, because you're just picking a fight.

But until that moment: You're exactly why we're in the pickle we're in right now, reecurity, not to mention education and health. You can't afford $10 RT for security???!!! Brother, I don't want to be on your flight.

If national security isn't a reason for taxation, then you must truly prefer to live in unprotected anarchy. I suppose you'd be happier if the Army were contracted out to Firestone and Ford!

And just because it's federalized, doesn't mean it's more expensive -- sometimes much less because you don't have duplicate bureaucracies all over the place, with top execs demanding big salaries for themselves and pinching pennies at the consumer level:
HMO's administrative costs: 35-40%; Medicare's administrative costs: 8%.

You pay the lowest taxes in the industrialized world. Quitcherbitchin. I'm delighted that they are taking airport security seriously, instead of putting it up for bid based on bottom-line thinking.

alice

I agree with Before. You were already paying for "security" (hah) as part of the price of your ticket because the airlines provided it, so now you should be able to request $10 off the ticket price from them. Good luck getting it, though, because that "refund" is going only two places--straight into the pockets of the airline executives and their lobbyists in DC.

Randy

To those of you that think adding a forth federal tax on to airline tickets: We already pay for national security (military, police, fire) in our general taxes, if you feel so strongly about user taxes then why not charge another special tax for the added security required due to 9/11/01 for homeland security? Yes, we need more taxes.

Ann

The tax is $2.50, each way. If you can't afford 5 bucks, stay home.

Harry

The tax is up to $10.00 per RT ticket, this is on top of four other federal and state taxes on airline tickets, enough is enough.

The good news is the tax does not start until 1/1/2001.

Amech

Good grief, all the moaning about taxes. "Before" is right -- we are the least taxed of developed nations. I'm willing to bet that "taxed out" and "Harry" both have income levels several times above the poverty line -- just can't part with that extra $10. bill. How do you propose we run a country? By faith-based economy (I think that's called the stock market)? Roll up the roads, fire the police, give the army to General Motors or Intertel. Or maybe it's just the NUMBER of taxes -- would you be happier if they just had one lump sum charged on your travel ticket or withheld from your income? Sorry, I just have no sympathy with people trying to make some trenchant political point based on having to actually pay for better security, when the cost to them is $10.

Don't tell anyone, but I'd be happy to make it $20. if I thought it would actually work -- but that's another argument (in room 7a, down the hall).