ransportation Security Administration Imposes Massive Tax Increase on Air Travelers

Airplane Security Tax Would More Than Double

WASHINGTON -Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist today condemned the Transportation Security Administration\’s (TSA) plan to sock taxpayers with a massive tax increase to fly domestically.

According to published reports, TSA\’s budget request for the upcoming year would raise the security tax for one-way flights by 120% and for round-trip flights by 60%. This would raise $48 million for TSA in the upcoming year.

"It was a dangerous idea to give a government agency carte blanche to raise taxes whenever it wanted to," said ATR President Grover Norquist. "TSA, despite having a needed role in safeguarding our nation\’s security, is feathering its nest like any other government bureaucracy."

The TSA was established in 2002 to coordinate security efforts in American airports. The agency has been hamstrung by wasteful union rules and regulations, causing taxpaying flyers to suffer bigger and bigger ticket price increases. This in turn has prevented the airline industry (which has union problems of their own) from bouncing back as quickly from 9/11.

"Unions are increasingly little more than hordes of government bureaucrats," concluded Norquist. "It shouldn\’t surprise anyone that they want to absorb as much taxpayer money as possible to expand their ranks."