Call to scrap departure tax

Airlines should pay a special “green tax” on every flight in and out of the UK, while airport departure taxes should be scrapped according to the Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy. According to The Guardian newspaper, the Lib Dem leader is arguing that such a rule change would encourage good environmental practice – specifically in relation to no-frills carriers whose “fares are often cheaper than departure taxes”. The newspaper previews a speech Kennedy was due to give today at the Royal United Services Institute today: “A full aircraft causes virtually no more pollution than an empty one, but the present duty gives no incentive to the operators to fill up their flights. “A much fairer system would be for airlines to pay duty on every plane taking off from a British airport, both passenger and freight. Out proposal, taxing the aeroplane not the passenger, is the principle of ‘the polluter pays’ in action.” The newspaper suggests that such a move would not lead to cheaper fares because airlines would pass on the extra costs to passengers. ALSO READ: ABTA FRAUD LATEST: Executive named Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad