Cabbies say they have not been consulted over planned new arrangements for taxis waiting to pick up passengers from the airport.
New taxi rank arrangements, to be discussed with operators, were announced as part of a raft of new charges unveiled by the cash-strapped Department of Infrastructure last week aimed at raising £500,000.
Taxis currently charge a £1 per trip airport levy, but the department says for many years this has not been passed on to the government.
It is proposed that the ply-for-hire taxis licensed to pick up at the airport will in future operate on a pre-paid permit system. There are about 45 carrying Malew plates under the regional licensing system.
Ply-for-hire taxis will continue to wait in front of the terminal building for their next fare.
But private hire, pre-booked taxis will in future have to wait in the former disc zone area of the short-stay car park to collect their passengers and so will pay the £1 charge for the first hour of parking.
The free first half hour of parking at the airport is also being abolished.
But Ray Teare, chairman of the Manx Taxi Federation, said there had been no prior consultation with the taxi trade.
And he described the claim that cabbies should have been passing on the £1 charge to government as ‘complete nonsense’.
He said the 2001 Transport Act abolished the old permit system and introduced the £1 levy.
But he insisted: ‘The £1 was an incentive to be at the airport to serve the public. The drivers were allowed to charge an extra £1 on their fare.
‘If we picked up from Douglas and took a passenger to the airport we could not charge the £1. It was an incentive to provide the service at the airport because sometimes taxis weren’t there.’
He challenged the Infrastructure Minister to show him the provisions in the legislation proving the levy was to be paid to the government.
Mr Teare said it was wrong to charge cabbies more at a time when the economy was not as strong as it had been and passenger numbers using the airport were falling.
And he said the drivers would have no choice but to pass the charges onto their customers.
Mr Teare said: ‘We would certainly be against any charges for ply for hire taxis. The drivers do long hours for little reward.
‘We all know the state of the airport and the number of flights coming in. We are concerned there has been no prior consultation on these charges. I’m not sure how this will operate and what charges there will be.’
And he added: ‘What impression does this give to the travelling public arriving in the island and having to put up with this? It doesn’t give a good impression about the state of the island and its finances, does it?
‘Taxpayers’ money has gone into the airport and now they are asking us to pay twice.’