29 June 2009

CTO to lobby MPs against Ã¢â¬ËœunjustÃ¢â¬â¢ APD changes

The Caribbean Tourism Organisation is urging members to lobby their MPs in protest against "discriminatory" plans to alter Air Passenger Duty.

Tourism leaders say the Caribbean will be penalised through planned changes to the bands of APD which will see destinations in the region going into a higher tax band than the whole of the US.

The CTO is calling on members to write to their MPs before July 7 when the matter is next due to go before Parliament.

As a result, flight tax to the Caribbean will increase by between 25% and 87%, depending upon the class of travel. In November 2010 those increases will reach as high as 94%.

"This discriminatory system means that flights to Hawaii or California will be less heavily taxed than flights to the Caribbean destinations, even though APD is intended as a ‘green tax’," the CTO said.

"UK holidaymakers and the overseas friends and relatives of Caribbean nationals who live in Britain are being heavily penalised.

"It would be more reasonable to place the Caribbean in the same band as the USA."

Describing the proposed changes as "unjust", the CTO said Caribbean governments have united in calling for a repeal of the UK government's "discriminatory" plans.

Letters have already been sent to Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Chancellor Alistair Darling.

"We are lobbying for the Caribbean to be moved into Band B, the same as North America, so we ask you to please write to your local MP and protest about this tax," the CTO said in a letter to members.

"The matter next goes before Parliament on the 7^th of July, so we urge you to write to your local MP before this date."

*See linked APD story.

by Phil Davies

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APD Changes

With these planned changes in APD charges it will be yet another reason not to go ahead with the third runway. There will be such a reduction in passengers travelling and the number if flights needed to carry the reduced loads - there will be no case for a third runway.

By David Tarsh, Monday, June 29, 2009