Jamaica lobbies UK Government over ‘unfair’ APD
Jamaican government officials met with UK MPs yesterday to lobby them over the increased Air Passenger Duty.
Prime Minister Golding and Tourism Minister Bartlett from Jamaica met MP Diane Abbott and other members of Parliament to outline how the tax is unfair and undermines Jamaican and Caribbean tourism.
Bartlett argued that the proposed new structure of the APD favours large developed countries over smaller ones, which operate in the same highly competitive environment.
“The increased tax is inherently unfair and not the least bit ‘green’,†he said.
“The structure of APD as an environmental tax suggests that the impact of a flight to Jamaica or Barbados is greater than one to Miami, Los Angeles or Honolulu.
“Why should Caribbean countries with relatively low emissions suffer the effects of an environmental tax, in favour of the world’s biggest polluter?â€
Bartlett, accompanied by director of tourism for Jamaica John Lynch, is also due to meet with travel industry leaders during his visit, including Andy Cooper, head of business development and consumer affairs ABTA & FTO, and head of the World Travel & Tourism Council, Jean Claude Baumgarten.
He will also meet with Conservative MP Greg Hands, known to have criticised the tax from its inception.
From November, economy class passengers to Jamaica face a tax of £50 per ticket, and this amount increases to £75 in 2010.
The proposed tax for premium economy, business, and first class tickets, will be double.
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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