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PRESS / JUNE 2009 / HOLIDAY TAX WILL PRICE 1.5 MILLION OUT OF FLYING

Holiday tax will price 1.5 million out of flying 29 June 2009

FlyingMatters, the pro-aviation coalition, has branded planned holiday tax hikes as regressive after official figures revealed at least 1.5million Britons would be priced out of flying by the rises.

The figures were issued by the Department for Transport in an answer to a Parliamentary Question on June 23. Air Passenger Duty is set to rise in November this year before stepper rises in November 2010.

In November travellers to the US will pay £45 in APD, those going to the Caribbean will pay £50 and passengers going to Australia and New Zealand will have to pay £55.
In November 2010 passengers flying to the US will pay £60 in tax (a 50 per cent increase), while those flying to the Caribbean will pay £75 (an increase of 87.5 per cent).
Travellers to Australia or New Zealand will pay £85 in tax (an increase of 112.5 per cent), meaning a family of four flying Down Under face a tax bill of £340.

Brian Wilson, Chairman of FlyingMatters said:
“These figures show how millions of ordinary families will be priced out of flying by these taxes. There is no justification for such a regressive measure. Returning air travel to the preserve of a wealthy elite is likely to go down like a lead balloon with the electorate.”

Notes for editors:

  1. FlyingMatters is a broad coalition of pro-flying organisations including, business, trade unions, tourism organisations, farmers in the developing world in addition to the aviation industry.  A full list of members can be found here: http://www.flyingmatters.org.uk/about.
  2. Rt Hon Brian Wilson is a former Labour MP and Minister.  His biography is available at http://www.flyingmatters.org.uk/about
  3. The new increases in APD will be introduced in two stages, beginning in November 2009. The new bands and the rates of duty for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are available here http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/pbr2008/pbrn20.pdf
  4. In an answer to a Parliamentary Question on June 23rd, the Department for Transport revealed that their predictions for air passengers showed that 1.5million fewer passengers would fly as a result of the increased rates of Air Passenger Duty.
  5. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090622/text/90622w0005.htm#0906228002168

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Worrying trend in public views of climate change

There have been a number of interesting stories in the media over the couple of weeks in relation to aviation and the environment. The Guardian reported on a CAA survey which revealed that only 7% of air passengers are willing to pay more for their flights by offsetting their carbon emissions. Moreover, the survey showed that a very small number of travellers - 9% - have chosen to fly less often in the last year because of environmental considerations.

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Comment Latest reaction

These stories would be interesting taken separately. Taken together they indicate a worrying trend.  The IPCC urgently needs to rebuild its reputation and credibility.  Climate Change affects us all and we cannot afford for the world's leading authority to be sidelined.

Credibility and public support is also an issue for the Climate Camp.  Policies to deal with climate change will only be effective if they secure public support.  The Climate Camp's approach to media relations undermines public support of their aims.  The CAA survey of the public's attitude towards flying and climate change and the lack of take up of tools such as offsetting reveals the combined impact of each of these factors on public attitudes and actions.

The aviation and travel industry agree that climate change is a global challenge to which we must rise. That's why it invests over £2.5billion every year to find new technological breakthroughs to defeat it.  The industry has already committed itself to reducing its emissions to 2000 levels by 2050 against a threefold increase in passenger numbers. That is a major challenge but one which we are confident the industry can meet through a combination of technology, use of sustainable biofuels and operational improvements. The inclusion of aviation within a global deal on emissions is also a crucial part of this mix.

It is in all our interests to ensure that we build public support for these changes.

Read the full article

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