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BAR UK joins the fight against Tory plans for fuel duty
The Conservative Party has “jumped on the band wagon that is already rolling in the wrong direction”, according to BAR UK.
It released a statement today in response to Tory proposals for a ‘Green Air Miles Allowance’, where frequent flyers would pay a higher rate of tax, plus a fuel duty or VAT on domestic flights, or replacing Air Passenger Duty with a per-flight tax linked to carbon emissions.
“Yet again, aviation is being used as an easy target, and continuing the myth that flights are solely responsible for climate change – they are not!” said the BAR UK statement.
“The Conservative proposals perpetuate the tactic of using a blunt instrument against airlines and their passengers, and using the revenues generated, for non-environmental purposes.”
BAR UK, which represents over 90 scheduled airlines in the UK in their dealings with Government, Government departments, regulators and airport operators, said aviation is a critical component to the economic well-being of all countries.
“Holidaymakers leaving the UK are just one part of the scenario, but critics simply overlook all the other aspects of air travel including outbound business travellers, inward travellers of all sorts, plus the considerable amount of freight carried by air, all of which constitute such an important of the UK’s overall economy.
“The impact of these proposals would be felt even more in the regions, where air travel is so vital for connecting flights, or in saving time compared to other means of travel.”
BARUK said it was encouraged that the Conservatives recognises that APD is an ineffective tool.
“However, replacing one ineffective tax with another is not the solution. Smart, market-based solutions, such as carbon trading schemes, should be considered, rather than additional taxes that bring no environmental benefit.”
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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