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ABTA calls on public support in fight against APD
Nearly 70% of consumers do not know how much tax they are paying on a flight, according to ABTA research.
The association said the Government increases in aviation tax so far have been hidden behind the overall price of an airline ticket.
But it warned that the impact of the government’s new tax will soon become clear when further rises come into play next week.
ABTA said many families will find themselves priced out of taking a foreign holiday or visiting their relatives overseas.
A family of four visiting relatives in Australia will pay £340 in tax and £680 if they have paid for extra leg room in premium economy.
The Government has said that it intends to double APD revenue by 2014 to £3.8 billion.
But while travellers are not aware of the extent of the tax levels, 90% are sceptical about the environmental justification behind the flying poll tax.
ABTA chief executive Mark Tanzer said: “For too long our customers have been taken advantage of with successive governments seeing flying as a convenient cash cow.
“These latest huge increases in APD will disproportionately affect families on tight budgets when they are under considerable financial pressure.
“Increasing taxes will make taking holidays and visiting friends and relatives unaffordable for many. Not only is this tax increase pricing people out of taking holidays it also is putting the UK at a clear competitive disadvantage when compared to our European competitors.
He called on the Government to stop increasing the tax and adopt a fairer system.
But he said this will only happen with the support of the travelling public.
“The government will continue to hike air taxes unless there is a public outcry and ABTA is calling on holiday makers who will be paying more for their flights from Monday to make their views known to their MP and stop further increases in this flying poll tax,” he said.
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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