MP Hilary Armstrong backs our air tax campaign
Nov 26 2009 by Adam Jupp, The Journal
“Regions are vital to our economic recovery and we have to be sure that we protect air connections to this region.”
APD is levied based on how far the capital of the destination country is from London and there are four bands, all of which are rising this month, having previously doubled in 2007.
APD on an economy short-haul flight to Europe or North Africa went up from £10 to £11 and will rise again in November next year to £12. Duty on flights to the USA, Russia and the Gulf increased from £40 to £45 and will rise to £60 in 12 months, while a Caribbean flight has seen its APD increase from £40 to £50 and will be £75 next year.
Economy flights to Australia rose from £40 to £55 but will be £85 this time next year. That means by next year, a family-of-four – or a team of business colleagues – flying from Newcastle to Australia using Emirates will pay £340 in APD, more than double what they currently do.
APD generates around £2bn for the Treasury every year and is said to be a green tax but critics say there is no evidence the money it creates is spent on environmentally-friendly initiatives.
Additionally, the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme, which will start in 2012, will exist to regulate pollution caused by the industry. Meanwhile, airlines are independently spending tens of millions on measures to reduce their carbon footprint, which will increase ticket costs.
The support given to our campaign by Ms Armstrong was welcomed by Newcastle International chiefs. Head of planning and corporate affairs Graeme Mason said: “Hilary Armstrong achieved very senior positions in the Government and is one of the North East’s most accomplished politicians, so her support for the campaign is very significant.
“She has taken the time to carefully look at the issues and has come to the right conclusion, that the regional impact of Air Passenger Duty is a serious concern and it requires further investigation.
“We hope that more MPs will follow the bold lead given by Hilary and back The Journal’s campaign.
“The Journal was the first newspaper in the UK to take a stand on this important issue, and now others are following suit, including at a national level. Just recently the Telegraph jumped on the bandwagon. We take our hats off to The Journal for this.”
