Travel photographer Kevin Miller was asked to pay a departure fee when he was leaving Bali airport in 2013, which he and his wife missed their flight to Kuala Lumpur due to the inconvenience. Most departure taxes are common, with most paying for infrastructure projects such as maintaining the airports they're collecting in. According to a report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), airports globally collected $60.4 billion in departure taxes and other similar fees in 2024, an average of $6.80 per passenger. These fees are typically located in North America and Asia-Pacific, with Argentina charging the highest rate at $138 per passenger, followed by Mauritius, Mexico, the UK, the Dominican Republic, the US, Egypt and Kenya. However, IATA argues that these fees are regressive in nature and may conflict with broader economic and social objectives as they place a significant burden on the traveling public and do not significantly contribute to government budgets. The report also highlights the need for transparency about these fees.