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NEWS / AUGUST 2009 / WARNING OVER FLIGHT TAX BACKLASH
Voters in key marginals reject flight tax hikes
The Sunday Express, Sunday Times and Sunday Mirror all cover the results of a new poll for FlyingMatters showing that voters in key marginals reject the planned rises in flight tax with the vast majority agreeing that it is just another stealth tax. A significant majority also believe the tax hikes will impact on the economic recovery, making it harder to do business abroad.
The poll, conducted for FlyingMatters by CrosbyTextorPepper, also shows a 24 point lead for the Tories over Labour, a clear indication of the level of dissatisfaction with the Government’s proposals. However two-thirds of respondents named the economy as the single most important issue for the Government to tackle.
OUR REACTION
Rt Hon Brian Wilson
commenting on
Warning over flight tax backlash
Voters rightly recognise APD as a ‘stealth’ tax with wings, They recognise it not only as a threat to their own desire to fly occasionally, but also as a short-sighted measure which will harm economic recovery.
Exactly the same considerations have led other countries like the Netherlands and Spain to remove aviation taxes rather than increase them. Politicians here should take heed and recognise that air passengers are also voters who will make their views known at the ballot box.
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Press Our latest press release
FlyingMatters reaction to public attitudes to air travel and the environment survey
Reacting to statistics published by the Department for Transport on attitudes to air travel and the environment, showing that the proportion of people willing to pay extra fell from 69% in 2006 to 60% in 2010 among those who do believe that air travel harms the environment and from 50% to 40% among those who have flown in the last 12 months, Brian Wilson, Chairman of FlyingMatters said: "Just as the public's appetite for paying more for flying is waning, the Government plan to push ahead with eye-watering rises in the tax on flying so that from November a family of four will pay up to £340 in tax alone. This will push flying out of the reach of many ordinary families who only fly occasionally."
