Australia slammed for high tourism tax Australia's high departure tax for short-haul flights has been criticised. Picture: Supplied Source: The Daily Telegraph Tax on international flights to Australia among the world's highest World tourism forum slams tax policy Each ticket from Australia is slugged $55 in tax INTERNATIONAL travellers visiting Australia are slugged with some of the highest taxes in the world. The passenger movement charge (PMC), has been called the world's worst at a global tourism forum. The $55 fee is built into all international airfares regardless of the distance. Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF) Acting Chief Executive Officer Trent Zimmerman told the Global Leadership Summit in Abu Dhabi it's now the highest departure tax in the developed world for short-haul flights. "We are not surprised to see Australia join the ranks of the worst offenders," Mr Zimmerman said. Last year's $8 rise to $55 coupled with a strong exchange rate has catapulted the PMC up the travel tax league table to second, behind only the UK's air passenger duty. As bad as the UK's air passenger duty is, you can fly from London to Algeria, Greenland or Turkey and pay one-third of the tax you would pay on a flight from Darwin to Dili - Australia's shortest international sector. Mr Zimmerman said it's not the first time the tax has come under fire and that action is long overdue. The world is taking note. Last month the World Economic Forum's Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report ranked Australia 130 out of 140 nations for its air ticket taxes.