Discriminatory travel tax

Can the government really view the imposition of extra flight taxes as "no barrier to travel"? When Air Malta and Ryanair are offering cheap flights to the UK any extra taxation makes them less appealing. Currently, Air Malta has a special offer of Lm34 return to Gatwick. If this were the "real" cost, all flights would be full and indeed extra flights could be scheduled. In fact, if the Air Malta website is to be believed, the taxes currently amount to more than Lm51, which gives a total price of more than Lm85. Suddenly doesn't sound so tempting does it?

I had to laugh at the comment that "official statistics have proved that the departure tax has not affected the numbers of those travelling". How did they manage that quantum leap? It's obvious that more people would travel if the cost were reduced. One just has to look at the success of Ryanair to understand that cheaper prices means more passengers.

Why does a Ryanair return flight from Luton to Malta incur total taxes, fees and charges of £19.98 whereas a Ryanair flight on the same date but this time from Malta to Luton incur charges of €93.13 or around £60? Same flights, same dates, different taxation levels. I think it's called discrimination, and I feel that this is what the EU should be investigating.