Article: Australia’s Departure Tax Will Increase to $80

[Forg]

Is Australia one of the most-taxed countries?

Yeah but nah.
It is on the face of it, but some of the "extra" state & county & regional taxes you see in places like Japan & the USA (ie. on top of the standard income tax) are surprising & weird to Australians who've not had to deal with that ... of course, tax rates are low throughout most of southeast Asia by comparison, but then life there is cheap too.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

It's an outrageous tax, combined with INSANE passport pricing. Total rip off

 

[clifford]

I think you mean “at least we give the US billions of dollars for subs we’ll never get”….

Or do we even need? But that's entirely a different story. But using the money elsewhere might be handy...

 

[anat0l]

I’d be lion if I was seriously roaring about it. We could argue the toss if it was like $400 per person, and travel was seen as a luxury

Travel isn't a luxury?

It's hardly arguable as a necessity, certainly not compared to healthcare. Hell, people will more likely start a riot if the alcohol excise increases.

Given that no one can get out of Australia except via air or sea, why hasn't any government just completely raised the PMC?

What if they made the PMC dependent on citizenship, or tax status (e.g. Australian citizens or those who pay at least a certain amount of tax either pay a smaller PMC or, in some cases, have it waived).

$10 doesn't feel like the world given how much fares are at the moment and the way they are going.

Airlines say that if they could simply add $10 to the price of every ticket, without losing sales, they would have already done that.

Can't help but sharply laugh .....

 

[PERLHR]

Travel isn't a luxury?

It's hardly arguable as a necessity, certainly not compared to healthcare. Hell, people will more likely start a riot if the alcohol excise increases.

Given that no one can get out of Australia except via air or sea, why hasn't any government just completely raised the PMC?

What if they made the PMC dependent on citizenship, or tax status (e.g. Australian citizens or those who pay at least a certain amount of tax either pay a smaller PMC or, in some cases, have it waived).

$10 doesn't feel like the world given how much fares are at the moment and the way they are going.


Can't help but sharply laugh .....

Great thing about figures is that you can play about with them. The increase represents a figure of 33 percent in 30 months as posted at #16. 33 percent is 33 percent....would you be happy if car registration has such an increase as example or your pint of beer....or bottle of wine? You also seem to be suggesting that tax for travel should be based on earnings....where would that end?

 

[Forg]

Great thing about figures is that you can play about with them. The increase represents a figure of 33 percent in 30 months as posted at #16. 33 percent is 33 percent....would you be happy if car registration has such an increase as example or your pint of beer....or bottle of wine?

What if your registration was $5 and went up by 33% … your pint was $1 and became $1.33, or your bottle of nummy well-stored mid 90’s Henschke wine was $2 in the bottlo last week and is now $2.66?

 

[PERLHR]

What if your registration was $5 and went up by 33% … your pint was $1 and became $1.33, or your bottle of nummy well-stored mid 90’s Henschke wine was $2 in the bottlo last week and is now $2.66?

Makes no difference though...the increase in real terms is substantial.

 

[Steve994]

What if your registration was $5 and went up by 33% … your pint was $1 and became $1.33, or your bottle of nummy well-stored mid 90’s Henschke wine was $2 in the bottlo last week and is now $2.66?

I would probably own multiple cars and drink a lot of alcoholic beveridges.

 

[anat0l]

Great thing about figures is that you can play about with them. The increase represents a figure of 33 percent in 30 months as posted at #16. 33 percent is 33 percent....would you be happy if car registration has such an increase as example or your pint of beer....or bottle of wine? You also seem to be suggesting that tax for travel should be based on earnings....where would that end?

...and the great thing about percentages is that you can similarly be manipulative about them.

A political party has 1 seat in the House last year and now has 2. They have 100% more seats. Wow.

$10 on a ticket is just that. On something which is hard to argue is essential, let alone a human right. Do you think anyone wants to pay more? I don't think so. Should we march on parliament and start demanding heads to be chopped off? Hardly.

 

[PERLHR]

...and the great thing about percentages is that you can similarly be manipulative about them.

A political party has 1 seat in the House last year and now has 2. They have 100% more seats. Wow.

$10 on a ticket is just that. On something which is hard to argue is essential, let alone a human right. Do you think anyone wants to pay more? I don't think so. Should we march on parliament and start demanding heads to be chopped off? Hardly.

Actually that increase in the house from 1 to 2 is indeed quite substantial.....it would be big news. It's the same with tourist tax ....and maybe sooner than one might like to think it could hit Aussie. Many an arguement going on about a five percent levy charge on tourist tax in Edinburgh right now on going.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

How much of a difference does the extra $10 make in reality?

Airlines are all in competition, and we don’t allow component pricing. Fares go up and down and it’s hard to actually see the impact of the departure tax… except maybe to new zealand where fares are comparatively high (you can fly to china on a mainland carrier cheaper than flying to New Zealand!)

 

[PERLHR]

How much of a difference does the extra $10 make in reality?

Airlines are all in competition, and we don’t allow component pricing. Fares go up and down and it’s hard to actually see the impact of the departure tax… except maybe to new zealand where fares are comparatively high (you can fly to china on a mainland carrier cheaper than flying to New Zealand!)

I guess it's down to the total cost of all the taxes.....and that is quite substantial. People do tend to look at the bottom line. Oh my recent flight with ANZ from PER to AKL and back in biz was only AUD 2,500...

 

[anat0l]

How much of a difference does the extra $10 make in reality?

Airlines are all in competition, and we don’t allow component pricing. Fares go up and down and it’s hard to actually see the impact of the departure tax… except maybe to new zealand where fares are comparatively high (you can fly to china on a mainland carrier cheaper than flying to New Zealand!)

I guess most people don't read their fare breakdown, but you're right - we're all conditioned mainly to focus on the total fare.

I guess ultimately that's because that's what one has to pay any way. If you politically disagreed with the PMC, you can't just deselect it - you don't buy the fare and you don't travel. No different to any other tax not part of the base fare, e.g. security fees, GST, airport charges, etc.

I guess that's why in the US they are clinging onto component pricing for dear life. Headline a $800 fare, but it actually is $850. The carriers don't want to look like, "hey, it's not our fault on that extra $50".

Rather oddly, for some of us who burn lots of points, notwithstanding carrier surcharges, we would probably notice increases in the PMC more.... sort of.

 

[lovestotravel]

It is going up 33% in 30 months. The Australian Government really does have a spending problem, so tax, tax, tax is their only response.

It's what people voted for.....

 

[Ansett Nostalgic]

Australia in 2026 is basically serfdom with the excessive levels of tax and regulation that have to be suffered.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

It's what people voted for.....

Sadly yes

 

[ecst]

Just read this:

https://www.news.com.au/finance/ato-responds-to-claims-la-rams-star-matthew-stafford-will-face-a-huge-960000-tax-bill-in-australia/news-story/76b15e059da84df1ceae2c58d8aaacf4

 

[ecst]

In addition to payroll tax, this surely takes the cake

I don't know if a long-term solution exists, especially given the typical 3-yr terms/foresight horizons of our wonderful representatives in Canberra. Oh well

 

[dajop]

We can complain about the $10 increase, yes. It relates specifically to flying.

The rest is not what AFF is for, there is enough of that on my facebook feed thank you very much.

 

[Brucetiki]

Given this is baked into the airfare, most people won't even notice