CARICOM Chairman Dr Keith Mitchell calls for reduced Taxes on Airline Tickets to cut intraregional travel costs

​CARICOM Chairman Dr Keith Mitchell calls for lower taxes on airline tickets in order to reduce cost of intraregional travel.  Mitchel wants the Heads of the member states to collectively consider that approach.
 
He was speaking at the 38th CARICOM regular heads meeting in Grenada on Wednesday 5th July 2017.
 
He said “It would represent a significant installment to the Regional Integration account, if Heads would collectively agree to reduce airline ticket taxes, as well as other fees, which attach to the cost of intra-regional air travel”.
 
Mitchell also believes there is too much politics involved on the boards of airlines such as LIAT. He said, “Colleagues I have long held the belief that too much political presence on the board of airlines such as LIAT, is not helpful to its proper management and efficiency. LIAT’s sustainability would have benefitted, if it was run more as a private sector operation”.
 
According to him, Governments could subsidize LIAT flights to given destinations or routes that are in the best interest of their respective countries, as is done with international airlines.