Civil Aviation Board director Norge Botello has said that President Leonel Fernandez still has the final word on the decision to impose a US$5 surcharge on airfares sold abroad. The measure, recommended by the Ministry of Tourism, is scheduled to go into effect in August. Tourism Minister Felix Jimenez, the advocate of the surcharge, has argued that the funds would be used for infrastructure in tourism destinations. The hotel industry sector feels that airfares to the DR are already overtaxed and the government should instead allot portions of the existing taxes paid by the tourism industry to improvements in tourism areas.