CAIRO: Tax revenues on flight tickets are expected to amount to 600 million EGP ($75.6 million) in 2015/2016 after the recent increase on tax prices, head of the
Egyptian Tax Authority (ETA) Abdel Moneim Matar told Youm7 Friday.
In 2014/2015, taxes on flight tickets reached 270 million EGP, Matar said.
The Oct. 8 presidential decree on increasing the exit tax came after a study by the Ministry of Aviation and the Ministry of Finance and Cabinet recommendation, Matar added.
The tax was increased to be 400 EGP on first-class tickets and 150 EGP on second-class tickets. Previously, the tax was set at five percent of the ticket’s price at a maximum of 300 EGP on the business class and 100 EGP on other classes.
The tax increase was met with a wave of criticism and mockery online, as some social media users deemed the tax as a punishment for flying out of the country and suggested that the government apply a tax on the air, clothes, etc.