{"id":84615,"date":"2019-12-01T14:29:50","date_gmt":"2019-12-01T18:29:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=84615"},"modified":"2019-12-01T14:41:48","modified_gmt":"2019-12-01T18:41:48","slug":"group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/","title":{"rendered":"Group Sends Letter, Petition To PM Over High Cost Of Airport Taxes"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>

A group by the name The Citizens Against High Intra-Regional Caribbean Travel Taxes is calling on the Prime Minister Gaston Browne and other CARICOM Heads of Government to respond to the petition submitted to their offices.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

The petition with over 20 thousand signatures was sent to Browne and his colleagues recently.<\/p>\n

Below is the letter written to PM Browne on the matter.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/div>\n

Dear Prime Minister,<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

This communication is born out of a regional movement of Caribbean citizens who have come together in opposition to the current cost of intra-regional travel and governments\u2019 role in escalating airfares.<\/p>\n

The issue of Taxes, Fees and Charges (TFCs) in air transport has been a source of controversy globally, not least in the Caribbean Region. Ours, is a unique geographic space
\nheavily dependent on air transportation to support the tourism industry whose contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) of CARICOM Member States is significant and for some unparalleled. In short, tourism is a critical component of the region\u2019s strategic development plan.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

However, the increasing cost of regional travel threatens to stymie our progress. High and
\nincreasing TFCs have contributed to the decline in intra-regional travel in recent years. A 2018 study by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) on regional air transportation1 found that intraregional travel\u2019s share of total Caribbean travel declined from 15 per cent to 9 per cent between 2012 and 2017.<\/p>\n

At the same time, travel from the Caribbean to extra-regional destination increased by 6 per cent. Despite the slight rebound in intra-regional travel during 2018 reported by Caribbean 1 Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). 2018. \u201cAir Transport Competitiveness and Connectivity.\u201d
\n2 Tourism Organisation (CTO), the cost of travel in region remains a significant impediment to connectivity and growth.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Moreover, a 2007 study by InterVISTAS2 Consulting commissioned by the International Air
\nTransport Association (IATA) conducted an extensive literature review of publications and
\nresearch spanning twenty-five years and concluded with overwhelming certainty that higher airfares result in reduced passenger traffic demand. In the Caribbean, this issue of cost is exacerbated by the TFCs which, when added to the basic fares of carriers serve to make overall ticket prices devastatingly expensive for passengers. Analysis in the aforementioned CDB study revealed that on average TFCs added 54% (40% from taxes and 14% from charges) to the cost of a LIAT one-way ticket in 2016.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

TFCs constitute similar proportions of fares for Caribbean Airlines (CAL) and other regional airlines. For example, a recent CAL promotion to mark its inaugural direct flight from Jamaica to Barbados advertised a fare of USD100.00 round trip.<\/p>\n

However, when TFCs were added to this fare the total cost of travel increased by USD 154.00 to USD $254.00. In this case, TFCs amounted to more than a 150 per cent increase in base fare. A break-down of the different taxes imposed by CARICOM Governments compiled from airline websites is attached to this communication for your reference.
\nWe have always been a proud and ambitious people committed to charting a path for the
\ndevelopment of our respective nations.<\/p>\n

The social contract between governments and citizens has been the bedrock of the efforts of leaders to devise strategies to realise advances in infrastructure and services for a better quality of life. A key component of the infrastructural development has
\nbeen the construction and maintenance of modern airport facilities across the region.<\/p>\n

There is no denying that airports are expensive. Operations require adherence to complex rules and guidelines intended to meet global aviation standards, efficient and user-friendly passenger processing and baggage handling, as well as passenger facilities for commerce, dining and transit.<\/p>\n

Staffing, utilities and other costs associated with daily operation also add to the burden on airport authorities.
\nConsequently, there is almost an expectation that nations implement measures to extract revenue from passengers who utilise airports across the region to contribute not only to their operation, but also to fund aspects of government budgets. For us, the questions are how much TFCs can authorities impose on the traveler before negative overall outcomes begin to accrue?<\/p>\n

Specifically, how much TFCs can CARICOM Governments extract from intra-regional travelers before the 2 InterVISTAS Consulting Inc. 2007. \u201cEstimating Air Travel Demand Elasticities.\u201d3region begins to be negatively impacted by the lower passenger volumes? We\u00a0 believe that our region is at a critical juncture, where over-taxation while meeting airport operational costs is compromising regional development and economic integration for the worse.<\/p>\n

Having outlined the issue, it is imperative that we now communicate the objectives of this
\ncampaign. Hitherto, the focus has been on intra-regional travel. This is intentional. Changes to the
\nTFC regime applied to travel originating from and destined for outside of CARICOM is not the
\nfocus; we are not asking governments to disrupt this income stream. Instead, our efforts are
\nconcentrated on the lowering of TFCs on travel between CARICOM States. Accordingly, we
\npresent cogent arguments clearly demonstrating the benefits of increasing intra-regional travel to
\nCARICOM as a collective and to individual nations. We believe that it also important to emphasise
\nthat while it may difficult to disassociate intra-regional travel from the financial performance and
\nsustainability of airlines operating in the space, this campaign is not associated with any airline
\nand their quest for increased passenger volumes and revenue.
\nRather, what we espouse is based on principles enshrined in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas
\n(RTC) signed by regional leaders optimistic about the manifestation of regional advancement
\nthrough genuine functional cooperation. Principles of collective responsibility and shared destiny,
\nprinciples of reduced insularity and myopia built of the realisation that by depending more on each
\nother, we can depend less on non-CARICOM states for our social and economic progress. This is
\nboth metaphoric and literal, since the region\u2019s TFC policies do not appear to recognise (at least
\nostensibly) that intra-regional travel can be a direct substitute for international tourist arrivals. By
\nfacilitating CARICOM nationals to travel within the region we can grow each other\u2019s economies
\nwhile reducing the rate at which foreign currency leaves the region through extra-regional travel.
\nNumerous studies have used Price Elasticity of Demand (PED) which measures the responsiveness
\nof demand to changes in price have predicted that if governments were to reduce TFCs, intraregional Caribbean travel would increase significantly. Amsterdam Economics in their study aptly
\ntitled \u2018Economic benefits of reducing aviation taxes in Latin America and the Caribbean\u2019
\nconcluded that removing aviation taxes and fees would drive efficiency and connectivity growth
\nto the benefit of both the consumer and the wider economy3. It \u201ccould deliver businesses and
\nindividual consumers in Latin America and the Caribbean USD 5.8 to 7.9 billion of immediate
\ndirect consumer benefits, compared to a \u2018do nothing scenario\u2019. These direct consumer benefits
\n3 Amsterdam Economics. 2016. \u201cEconomic benefits of reducing aviation taxes in Latin America and the Caribbean\u201d.
\n4
\nripple through the rest of the economy and create wider economic benefits\u201d. At the time of the
\nstudy and based on the countries included, Amsterdam asserted that removal of aviation taxes
\nwould result in a total GDP impact of USD 87 billion and 912 thousand jobs. If passenger-based
\ncharges are also scaled back, this amount increases to USD 135 billion and 1.4 million jobs. These
\nfigures include all GDP and employment directly and indirectly related to aviation. While the study
\ndid not directly include all CARICOM countries, few disagree that similar benefits would accrue
\nacross the board.
\nMoreover, CDB analysis suggests that there will be short run and (larger) long run boosts to GDP
\nof countries that reduce TFCs. The higher the magnitude of the PED, the greater the increase in
\nGDP, and the more likely there will be a positive net financial impact, where additional tax revenue
\ngenerated by increasing economic activity would rival TFC revenue foregone. In other words, the
\nincrease in travel will likely see governments collect other tax revenue similar to the amount lost
\nby reducing TFCs. This would manifest in the form of revenue increases from taxes already in
\nexistence in the economy over time (E.g. Sales Tax\/VAT). Instead, CARICOM Governments have
\neffectively turned regional airlines into major tax collectors and in doing so pushed the cost of
\ntravel beyond the reach of many Caribbean citizens.
\nWe therefore call on CARICOM Governments to re-evaluate the current TFC regime on intraregional travel. Over-taxing regional travel is counter-productive to regional connectivity and the
\ngrowth and productivity of our economies. It is our hope that a renewed social partnership would
\nbe inclusive of meaningful dialogue and action with citizens engaged in this movement and our
\nrespective governmental officials.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A group by the name The Citizens Against High Intra-Regional Caribbean Travel Taxes is calling on the Prime Minister Gaston Browne and other CARICOM Heads of Government to respond to the petition submitted to their offices. The petition with over 20 thousand signatures was sent to Browne and his colleagues recently. Below is the letter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":15920,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nGroup Sends Letter, Petition To PM Over High Cost Of Airport Taxes - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Group Sends Letter, Petition To PM Over High Cost Of Airport Taxes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A group by the name The Citizens Against High Intra-Regional Caribbean Travel Taxes is calling on the Prime Minister Gaston Browne and other CARICOM Heads of Government to respond to the petition submitted to their offices. The petition with over 20 thousand signatures was sent to Browne and his colleagues recently. Below is the letter […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Antigua News Room\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-12-01T18:29:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-12-01T18:41:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/gaston.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Editor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\"},\"headline\":\"Group Sends Letter, Petition To PM Over High Cost Of Airport Taxes\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-12-01T18:29:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-12-01T18:41:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/\"},\"wordCount\":1404,\"commentCount\":6,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1280\/h:720\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/gaston.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/\",\"name\":\"Group Sends Letter, Petition To PM Over High Cost Of Airport Taxes - Antigua News Room\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1280\/h:720\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/gaston.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-12-01T18:29:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-12-01T18:41:48+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1280\/h:720\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/gaston.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1280\/h:720\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/gaston.jpg\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Group Sends Letter, Petition To PM Over High Cost Of Airport Taxes\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"name\":\"Antigua News Room\",\"description\":\"News As It Happens\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Antigua Newsroom\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"width\":1260,\"height\":1260,\"caption\":\"Antigua Newsroom\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\",\"name\":\"Editor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"caption\":\"Editor\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Group Sends Letter, Petition To PM Over High Cost Of Airport Taxes - Antigua News Room","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Group Sends Letter, Petition To PM Over High Cost Of Airport Taxes","og_description":"A group by the name The Citizens Against High Intra-Regional Caribbean Travel Taxes is calling on the Prime Minister Gaston Browne and other CARICOM Heads of Government to respond to the petition submitted to their offices. The petition with over 20 thousand signatures was sent to Browne and his colleagues recently. Below is the letter […]","og_url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/","og_site_name":"Antigua News Room","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","article_published_time":"2019-12-01T18:29:50+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-12-01T18:41:48+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/gaston.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_site":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Editor","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/"},"author":{"name":"Editor","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5"},"headline":"Group Sends Letter, Petition To PM Over High Cost Of Airport Taxes","datePublished":"2019-12-01T18:29:50+00:00","dateModified":"2019-12-01T18:41:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/"},"wordCount":1404,"commentCount":6,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1280\/h:720\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/gaston.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/","name":"Group Sends Letter, Petition To PM Over High Cost Of Airport Taxes - Antigua News Room","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1280\/h:720\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/gaston.jpg","datePublished":"2019-12-01T18:29:50+00:00","dateModified":"2019-12-01T18:41:48+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1280\/h:720\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/gaston.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1280\/h:720\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/gaston.jpg","width":"1280","height":"720"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/group-sends-letter-petition-to-pm-over-high-cost-of-airport-taxes\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Group Sends Letter, Petition To PM Over High Cost Of Airport Taxes"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","name":"Antigua News Room","description":"News As It Happens","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization","name":"Antigua Newsroom","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","width":1260,"height":1260,"caption":"Antigua Newsroom"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5","name":"Editor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","caption":"Editor"},"url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84615"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84615\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}