Niknak
You are right about most of what I said being inapplicable..sorry to all. I'm still steamed up about it and forgot where I was!
However...
if he refused to pay he would have still got through
that's not what they say at the time.."If you want to go through security and board your aircraft, pay up, if you don't then please leave the airport". Verbatim. It's no use having that refusal option but not telling people it's there; faced with a couple of heavies threatening expulsion people tend to fork out.
The tax question is not a conspiracy theory, it's a question. Is the £3.00 treated as trading income, with VAT being paid on it, or not? Why not just tell us, rather than resorting to abuse? I need to know; if VAT is paid I can claim it back.