The tax line on air tickets is a big shell game where airlines stick an increasing number of charges that are not taxes at al but are put directly into their own pocketl. There need to be strong consumer protection laws to put a stop to these frauds. The ''fuel surcharge'' is probably the most prevasive of these fraudulent fees, but there are others like Delta's ''foreign origin surcharge''. Each airline has its own way of doing things, some honest and others with a scheme of frauds, so until regulations clean up these practices, there is really no way to objectively determine what you will be charged. It will depend upon the airline.