Thus, a flight involving one intermediate stop is taxed twice as much as a nonstop flight, and a flight with two intermediate stops is taxed three times as much as a nonstop flight. This ticket tax shifts the burden to low-cost short haul carriers. These are our local carriers. This will hurt Hawaii. Tourism is Hawaii's largest industry.
International visitors are a vital part of our tourism industry.
The change in the ticket tax on international flights puts a greater tax burden on international visitors. International tourism is a major foreign exchange earner for the United States. It is one of the bright spots in our balance of payments picture. It generates millions of American jobs. Because of my reservations about the airline ticket tax, I will work with all my energy to repeal these provisions in the future.