According to a report by French newspaper Le Figaro on the 16th, Maiquetía Airport in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, recently introduced a bizarre new tax: a 'breathing tax.' Every passenger must pay $20 (about 125 yuan) to breathe fresh air.

The report said Venezuelan authorities explained that the 'breathing tax' is mainly to recover the cost of installing an air conditioning system covering the airport terminal building, which uses ozone to purify the air and is beneficial to passengers' health. However, in Venezuela, where the economy is sluggish, the crime rate is high, and basic goods and services are widely lacking, air tickets are already very expensive, and the 'breathing tax' has ignited the anger of people across the country. Some netizens said on social media: 'What is going on with the breathing tax at Maiquetía Airport? The toilets are suffocating, stray dogs are everywhere in the airport, and they still levy a tax?' Other netizens complained: 'How is this different from robbery? I guess more bizarre taxes will appear soon.'

According to Le Figaro, the introduction of the 'breathing tax' may be because Maiquetía Airport is financially strapped. The report said the Venezuelan government owes airlines a total of up to $4.2 billion in debt, and these airlines are reducing flights to Venezuela. Delta Air Lines of the United States will reduce its daily flights to Venezuela to once a week starting August 1 this year, while American Airlines will reduce its 48 weekly flights to 10 per week.

Time magazine said Venezuelan officials do not understand why the people are dissatisfied. They believe that Maiquetía Airport becoming the first airport in South America with ozone ionized air is something to be proud of.