Taxes and airline safety

crash victim Prem Chand’s coffin had ‘kafir’ written on it.

SIALKOT: This is with reference to Mikail Lotia's op-ed article "Pay your taxes, save a life" (July 31). Is he aware that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) collects taxes from every passenger, including the majority that have always evaded taxes? It charges every airline an enormous amount in the form of landing charges, parking charges, over flying charges, etc. The installation of ILS equipment, Wind Shear Detection or Fire Fighting and Rescue equipment does not cost much, if you compare their costs to revenues generated by the CAA. Instead of investing in infrastructure, the CAA is busy in other commercial projects and has been compromising on safety by allowing housing societies and restaurants to be built in the restricted zone, which gives rise to bird activity that poses a threat to aircraft. In Lahore, an elevated water tank has been constructed right in the path of a runway, which has resulted in revenue payload restrictions on aircrafts, that causes them losses to the tune of billions per annum. The CAA has become party to these crimes because its executives have stakes in the housing societies that develop in the periphery, most of them belonging to uniformed services.

It is not just flight safety that is compromised by this corruption, but our national sovereignty and economic survival is hostage to it as well.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2010.