Pocketing tax

The government has increased tax on air tickets from August 1. For those who purchased their tickets before this date, collection of this additional tax is being done by airline staff at airports when issuing boarding cards.
The Civil Aviation Authority has put up banners at all airports informing travellers about this tax and the payable amount. But airline personnel who are supposed to collect this tax are consistently asking passengers to pay a higher amount. For example, additional tax on international tickets is Rs950 but passengers are being forced to pay Rs1,000. It would have been much better if the government had levied tax at the exact amount of Rs1,000 so airline staff could not get a chance to fleece passengers for extra money and all the amount collected could have gone to the national treasury.
Ahsan Kamal
Islamabad