easyJet backs tax on planes
[30th June 2008]
Low fares airline easyJet is taking out ads in the national press today in support of its campaign to make the proposed replacement for Air Passenger Duty greener and fairer.
The government announced plans last year to scrap Air Passenger Duty and replace it with a tax on flights based on distance and the size of the plane.
"We have long argued that the current structure of APD is just plain wrong. A tax that penalises families but excludes private jets and cargo, and charges passengers travelling to Marrakech the same as those travelling to Melbourne, is just plain wrong. Passengers flying in the newest, cleanest aircraft cause less pollution and should not pay the same as someone flying in an old gas-guzzling aircraft," says easyJet in a press statement.
In its statement, easyJet suggests that other airlines oppose the government's new proposals. "Other airlines, especially those with older, long haul aircraft flying from hubs, are not as forward thinking as easyJet. Many airlines are secretly lobbying the Government to get a free ride for their transfer passengers (who already get a £350 million subsidy by avoiding APD) and for their longest flights. Some cargo airlines think their planes should continue to pay no tax at all!," the statement reads.
easyJet chief executive Andy Harrison comments: “Any airline that wants a free ride for its transfer passengers is expecting someone else to subsidise them. This is not right. We have a one-off opportunity to make air tax a greener tax, and to cut out the subsidies that make the current Air Passenger Duty such a poor tax".
“Air tax must be a greener tax which encourages airlines to behave more responsibly, not a mechanism to support the weak parts of the airline industry – and no-one should get a free ride,” Harrison adds.
Written by: Nick Purdom
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