A CARBON tax surcharge should never have been added to Spirit of Tasmania fares, according to the state's peak tourism body.
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Infrastructure Minister Rene Hidding announced on Sunday that the scrapping of the tax would see a $3 decrease on TT-Line passenger fares and $6 on vehicles, an amount the state opposition described as ``an absolute joke''.
However, Tourism Industry Council Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said it could be the point of difference for a family coming by air or sea.
``For a family, you're talking more than $30 a return trip, it's not an unreasonable amount,'' Mr Martin said.
``If it was that much taken off a flight we'd be popping champagne corks,'' he said.
Mr Martin said any price drop on the Spirit of Tasmania should be encouraged.
``If it was $3 across the board it wouldn't be worthy of being discussed, but in its entirety if the majority of people will see a $20-30 surcharge taken off fares that can only be an encouraging thing,'' he said.
Mr Martin said a carbon tax surcharge should never have been added to Spirit of Tasmania fees.
``There was no surcharge put on toll ways anywhere on the mainland,'' he said.
``We got charged a surcharge that no one else did around the country''.
The state government has a policy to reduce Spirit of Tasmania fares by 20 per cent, and Mr Martin said he hopes to see further competitive pricing, and a car gap fee removed.
The government is waiting on a business plan from TT-Line, the operators of the Spirit of Tasmania ferries, for a clearer picture of how savings could occur.
``When it comes to the Spirit what we know is that it's a very price sensitive market,'' Mr Martin said.
``People like the idea of coming by the Spirit, but it's that price competition with air,'' he said.
Mr Hidding said he expected a huge rise in passengers over the next four years.