UK passenger tax is simply greenwash, says tourism body
SYDNEY – The Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) has joined the attacks on the controversial Air Passenger Duty (APD), effectively a distance-based charge based on a flight’s ‘carbon footprint’.
ATEC managing director Matt Hingerty said the new departure tax arrangements, which will add at least $170 to an economy ticket and nearly $350 to the price of a business-class ticket by November 2010, were a retrograde development for Australia’s inbound tourism industry.
“This APD is a total reversal of the free trade rhetoric recently promoted by the G20 group of nations as a measure to alleviate the current global financial crisis,†he said.
“We believe that the climate change debate is being used to disguise this protectionist departure tax is ‘greenwash’.â€
“ATEC believes that this new charge will significantly impact travel to Australia from the United Kingdom, and is a critical trade barrier between the UK and Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.
“Despite all the recent triumphalism we have heard about some Australian sectors such as mining and finance starting to hit their straps again, trade-exposed industries such as tourism are still doing it extremely tough.â€
Hingerty urged the Australian Commonwealth Government to maintain its opposition to the APD and continue to pressure the UK Government to reverse its protectionist behaviour.
Ian Jarrett
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