Treasury ‘confirms worst fears’ of air tax campaigners
The Scottish Passenger Agents Association urged the travel industry to double its efforts to persuade the Government to abolish air passenger duty (APD) following the Treasury’s revelation that it will treat the tax separately from the incoming European Union Emissions Trading Scheme.
SPAA president Brian Potter said economic secretary to the treasure Justine Greening had ‘confirmed the worst fears of the Fair Tax on Flying Campaign partners’ when she was guest speaker at the ABTA-led Travel Matters seminar in London earlier this week.
Greening also spoke of the Government’s difficulties in rolling back APD tax income, which had already been built into their income and expenditure plans.
Potter said: "Travel has been a relatively soft and predictable target for the Treasury in recent years, but we will be re-doubling our combined efforts (SPAA, ABTA and other stakeholders) – on behalf of the travelling public – to get the message across at every opportunity.
"UK Plc is being seriously damaged by the assault on business and leisure travel represented by the inexorable rise in APD, and for the entire country’s sake it has to stop."
He predicted that the Treasury’s income from APD will stagnate as travellers avoid flying into and out of the UK, where air tax is higher than anywhere else in Europe.
"It’s time for Government to view the UK travel sector as a valuable contributor to GDP, rather than a cash cow," added Potter.
"The Fair Tax On Flying Campaign partners will continue to hammer home these points, at Westminster, Holyrood and in the Welsh Assembly, until the Coalition Government not only listens – as it promises to do in its current Consultation – but also acts to bring APD under control and ultimately, eliminate it."
Potter urged the travel industry to respond to the Government consultation document on APD and to come up with ideas on how the SPAA should take the Scottish campaign forward.
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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