Press Releases Official press releases from FlyingMatters

Conservative proposals for higher taxes on air travel are deeply unpopular with voters in 30 most marginal seats in the UK, a new poll has revealed.

The poll carried out by Crosby|Textor for aviation coalition FlyingMatters found that the strongest opposition came from Conservatives and wavering voters who Mr Cameron needs to woo to have any chance of unseating the Labour government.

An overwhelming 66 per cent of Conservative voters said it was wrong to target flying, with just 28 per cent in favour. 76 per cent of ‘soft ‘ voters (those who have not made their mind up who to vote for yet) said they should be free to travel by air as much as they like when visiting friends and family.

Commenting on the poll, FlyingMatters Chairman, Brian Wilson said:

“These figures confirm the danger for any political party which rushes into ill-considered action to stop people flying. Aviation must play its part in reducing carbon emissions but that need not be achieved at the expense of people’s requirement for air travel.

“More than half the people of the UK did not fly at all last year and another quarter took only one or two flights. Only seven per cent flew more than seven return journeys and they were mainly from the upper income groups which would be virtually immune to fiscal measures.”

He added:

“Any attempt to price people out of flying, in the name of environmental taxation, will hit the lower income groups hardest. That is both unfair and utterly ineffectual within the wider debate about climate change and carbon reduction.

“Britain can make a huge global contribution to reducing emissions from aviation through our engineering expertise which will continue to produce more fuel-efficient engines. That is a far more useful contribution than trying to price lower-income people out of their right to fly.

The proposals for high taxes on aviation put would add hundreds of pounds to a family holiday yet 63 per cent of Conservative voters in these seats said that foreign holidays were essential for work/life balance.

“I would not envy David Cameron’s task of trying to persuade 60 per cent of Tory voters that they should feel guilty about getting on a plane,” Brian Wilson said.

ENDS

Notes for editors

FlyingMatters is a coalition of business groups, trade unions, tourism groups and the aviation industry (airports, airlines, aerospace manufacturers and air traffic control). A full list of members can be found at http://www.flyingmatters.org.uk/site/uk/about

The independent poll was commissioned from Crosby|Textor by FlyingMatters.
Voters were polled in the following marginal constituencies: Finchley and Golders Green, Crawley, Croydon Central, Battersea, Aberconwy, Harlow, Milton Keynes South, Hove, Romsey and Southampton North, Cheltenham, Eastleigh, Dartford, St Austell and Newquay, Westmorland and Lonsdale, City of Chester, Stroud, Bristol North West, Loughborough, Carshalton and Wallington, Cardiff North, Hastings and Rye, Chippenham, Calder Valley, Hereford and North Herefordshire, Stourbridge, Taunton Deane, Colne Valley, Corby, Brighton Kemptown and Perth and North Perthshire

The poll consists of 600 interviews conducted during the period 27 July – 2 August 2007

Statistics in the release above relate to the following questions, which were asked of all respondents:

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Foreign holidays are an essential part of the work life balance.
It’s wrong to target flying when it’s responsible for 2% of all carbon emissions.
I should be free to choose air travel as often as I like when visiting friends or family.

Options for answer were:

Strongly Agree, Tend to Agree, Tend to Disagree, Strongly Disagree, Don’t Know