United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
What About Another BIG Greenwashed Tax on Tourism?
Tuesday, 20 Aug, 2010
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Outraged at German tax announcement IATA CEO Giovanni Bisignani speaks at the IATA Annual General Meeting in Berlin, June 7, 2010. Reuters/Thomas Peter
It’s starting to form a pattern – despite calls to get rid of the tax because it makes developing country destinations plights even worse – the UK has hardened and adapted APD and Germany has started its own. See Carbon Market News: www.travelmole.com/stories/1142763.php
Air Passenger Duty is now getting a little meretricious cloak of green credibility – the British say that it will be fairer because it’s levied per aircraft movement and the Germans say that it will, in time be replaced by the EU-ETS (the European Emissions Cap and Trade system).
Whatever. It’s a billion Euros/Pounds a pop at its initial level and it will certainly depress outbound travel, although in the UK at least it will benefit those operating with high load factors.
And it will legislate against low cost Caribbean, Asian and African tourism, particularly when they really don’t need it and at a time when they are petrified about the horrible effects that global warming will have on their tourism industries anyway.
OK, Germany and the UK aren’t the only outbound markets are they? And a couple of billions a year taken out of global tourism is hardly a big hit.
True, but it’s the first couple of billion and you can bet your bottom dollar (yuan, yen, pound or Euro) that many more countries will follow to shore up their treasuries with another transparent green excuse.
Moreover you can be sure that the individual country’s APD levels won’t stay as they are. Once a tax is established and levied there is only one way to go and that is up.
Plus, what a good wheeze! Outbound tourism could so easily become a whipping boy (or girl) of world governments. At a time of global recession and with a green excuse ready to cloud the issue, it could become a great way of raising money AND moral outrage. What’s wrong with staying at home or visiting your neighbors, after all?
How many industry thinkers have looked at the UK ‘voluntary’ – sorry mandatory -Carbon Registration Scheme in that light. Big energy users will be paying for excess carbon emissions by 2013 at a rate yet to be decided but around £15 a tonne of CO2 emitted.
Big energy users? Think hotels and transportation companies.
Said the Labour government: "The UK is leading the way in tackling climate change and in the move to a low carbon economy. Large organisations have huge potential to achieve cost-effective energy efficiency savings. There are clear benefits from positive, immediate action to tackle climate change." Translation: “We will make you pay through the teeth for your energy use because we need the money”
But of course there is now a new business-friendly government in the UK and they will revisit that legislation. If they do, you can be sure that they’ll review and revise, in other words flip a better green spin on it and increase its benefits – to the exchequer.
Sad but true –the hungry world’s governments are watching – just like the Germans watched the UK APD saga – and they’ll adopt the carbon tax schemes until they go viral.
The lesson of the story is – energy use (AKA carbon emissions) will cost REAL MONEY and whatever it costs impoverished destinations, source market governments will spin their greenwashing lies to cover up their real motive – they’re broke and they need the cash.
Simple as that.
There was a time when the British and the Germans imposed their own taxes and customs dues directly on local populations for travel in China and other subjugated countries. Bet they wish they could do it now.
Valere Tjolle
Valere Tjolle is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suite, special offer at: www.travelmole.com/stories/1142003.php
Valere
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