This weekend we take a look at sex education at 40,000 feet, IRS tax refund issues and justice and the TSA in terms of the 4th amendment.
Quantas shows sex education film — It is top viewed
The top-rated inflight film on Qantas airlines is “The Female Orgasm Explained.” It is on the on-demand channel and is noted as for adults only.
The 50-minute French film “The Female Orgasm Explained,” which includes naked scenes, is carried on long-haul “Video on Demand” aircraft in the airline’s “The Edge” channel — complete with a warning that it is for mature audiences only.
The choice of film may be a bit risky given the fact that airlines are usually quite careful about what they show, said Catriona Eider, an associate professor at the Department of Sociology and Social Policy, Sydney University.
“I think sociologically it’s interesting they are showing something that has the potential in that quite confined space to have people say ‘Oh, what are you watching?’ or shows that might be understood as titillating as porn,” she said.
IRS reneges on returning unauthorized taxes
Amazingly, the IRS has taken the easy way out, not the right way when it comes to refunding taxes due passengers for flights taken during the period between July 23rd and August 8th.
Today’s Congressional action extending the Federal Aviation Administration authorization reinstates retroactively the airline ticket taxes for passengers who traveled during the lapse of the FAA’s authorization. As a result of the bill Congress passed today, passengers who purchased tickets prior to July 23 and traveled between July 23 and the date of enactment of today’s legislation are not entitled to a refund of the airline ticket excise tax. Additionally, the IRS intends to provide relief for passengers and airlines with respect to ticket taxes that were not paid or collected because of the lapse.
The IRS intends to provide guidance to the airlines which will allow for an orderly restart of the collection of ticket taxes. Airlines will have from the time of enactment of the legislation through 12:01 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 8, to resume collection of the ticket taxes.
This notice is in direct contravention of previous IRS statements.
The Internal Revenue Service said at the time that those buying tickets on or before July 22 for travel during the shutdown “may be entitled to a refund of the tax,” presumably on the grounds passengers shouldn’t have to pay a tax to an agency that wasn’t even operating while they were flying. Delta even took the step of saying it would issue the refund directly rather than making customers go through the IRS.
But the IRS ruled over the weekend that no refunds would be coming to these passengers.
I’ll bet dollars to donuts that this is not the last we hear of this. A legal group will file a class-action suit and lawyers will get rich and passengers will get a pittance.
Teen arrested for stripping goes to court. Ruling expected in two weeks.
Will a student protesting TSA actions as against the 4th amendment go free? A judge is set to make a ruling in about two weeks’ time on whether or not to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a college student arrested after stripping to his running shorts at a Richmond International Airport checkpoint in protest of security measures.
The man, identified as Aaron Tobey, 21, of Charlottesville, VA, was detained by federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers Dec. 30 after he removed layers of clothes to reveal the text of the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment written on his chest.
The amendment states:
“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
