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UK: New air tax could cost families £170
The Telegraph ^ | 4/24/2008 | David Millward

Posted on 04/24/2008 8:20:12 PM PDT by bruinbirdman

Plans to overhaul tax paid by airline passengers could add £170 to the cost of a long-haul holiday for a family of four, airlines have warned.

They said that Treasury proposals to raise charges on environmental grounds could make overseas travel an increasingly costly luxury.

Passengers who have to change planes to complete their journey would be worst hit, because the Government wants to impose a tax on every flight to discourage planes from flying half-empty.

Under the present system of Air Passenger Duty, somebody changing planes at a hub airport such as Heathrow pays a single tax on the whole journey.

The new system would mean passengers being taxed on both the connecting flight to a major airport and the one they take to their destination.

It could lead to substantial rises, according to calculations by the British Air Transport Association.

At present, a family of four would pay £160 in tax to fly from Newcastle to New York via Heathrow. Under the new proposals, they would pay about £250 for the round trip between Heathrow and New York.

On top of that they would have to pay tax on the flights to and from Newcastle, which could add another £80 to the trip.

The Government expects to raise £3.5 billion from air passengers in 2011-12, compared to £971 million in 2006-07.

Under a consultation that ended yesterday, it proposed charging airlines according to the weight of the aircraft and how far it flew.

The Treasury has proposed three bands: travel within most of Europe, flights of up to 3,000 miles and those of more than 3,000 miles.

British airlines fear that the changes could lead to millions of passengers taking their business abroad, choosing to change planes at continental hubs such as Amsterdam or Frankfurt rather than London.

Somebody flying from Edinburgh to New York via London would, under the proposed system, pay £60 in aviation duty. But the same passenger would pay only £10 if the trip was made via the Continent.

"This is yet another example of the Government making controversial decisions on tax policy and failing to think through and appreciate the consequences for the UK public and economy," said Roger Wiltshire, of the British Air Transport Association.

British Airways warned that the plans could lead to provincial services being cut.

"Lower numbers of transfer passengers would lead to some long-haul routes becoming unviable, reducing the range of direct flights for UK customers," a BA spokesman said.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: britain; britian; globalwarming; greatbritain; unitedkingdon

1 posted on 04/24/2008 8:20:12 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
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To: bruinbirdman

For a second there I thought they were going to tax air (as in what we breathe). We’re not quite at that point (yet).


2 posted on 04/24/2008 8:25:19 PM PDT by Cementjungle
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To: The_Republican
THIS is the result of the "Climate Change" scam. It's a method for con artists (i.e., Al Gore) to get other peoples money.

Does it please you?

3 posted on 04/24/2008 8:32:19 PM PDT by Grizzled Bear ("Does not play well with others.")
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To: bruinbirdman

An air tax? I guess the saying “free as air” no longer applies


4 posted on 04/24/2008 8:34:46 PM PDT by Oztrich Boy (Holy State or Holy King - Or Holy People's Will - Have no truck with the senseless thing.)
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To: bruinbirdman

This tax is just a money grab by the left. This tax is not going to have any impact on CO2 emissions except to reduce air travel. To reach the impossible dream of drastic CO2 reductions, international air travel will become a once in a lifetime experience. We can just shut down 80% of the airline, aircraft, and tourist industries. I guess we can employ those workers in building or servicing the politically correct green industries (wind mills, solar panels, and hybrid cars).


5 posted on 04/24/2008 8:34:51 PM PDT by businessprofessor
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To: Cementjungle
For a second there I thought they were going to tax air (as in what we breathe). We’re not quite at that point (yet).

As a retired writer/editor, that's just what I initially thought also.

The headlines today are atrocious.

It should, of course, read: "...airline or air fare tax

6 posted on 04/24/2008 8:37:06 PM PDT by maine-iac7 (Typical Gun-Toting, Jesus-Loving Gramma)
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To: Grizzled Bear

No. Its a shame Algor has hijacked this issue and has become the face of climate-change.

My own concerns are just these:

I think we all agree we are NOT for polluting planet like dumping chemicals in rivers that catch fire.

As far as Global Warming, I want us to make sure that if Polar Caps and Greenland Ice Sheet is melting, it is not due to OUR actions and natural phenomenon.

I think most reasonable minds would agree that if Caps melt, we could have coastal areas go under water and that would not be a small thing.

Also, we should push for Nuclear Energy, like France, that gets more than 80% of its Electricity from Nuclear Energy. We don’t need to be dependent on Oil that finance our enemies and pollutes the enviorment.

I would also like to know definite research on whether releasing CO2 in massive amounts in atmosphere is causing the GW effect.

I care about protecting rare animals. Don’t want to wipe out all the forests. Manage them respectfully. That’s all.


7 posted on 04/24/2008 8:43:47 PM PDT by The_Republican (Ovaries of the World Unite! Rush, Laura, Ann, Greta - Time for the Ovulation!)
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To: maine-iac7
"The headlines today are atrocious."

Not if you think of it in context with what the author implies in the article.

Ultimately, the GreenieFascists will tax air. Humans expel CO2.

Ultimately the Commies want no taxes. They will just give everyone what they need. They will, eventually, decide who gets to breathe air.

This is in the headline.

yitbos

8 posted on 04/24/2008 8:47:57 PM PDT by bruinbirdman ("Those who control language control minds." - Ayn Rand)
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To: bruinbirdman

bump


9 posted on 04/24/2008 9:26:02 PM PDT by lowbridge ("I can't wait to see what he stands for." - Susan Sarandon on her support of Barack Obama)
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To: bruinbirdman

In the U.S. we have brilliant thinking like this.

To stay solvent, the U.S. post office continues to raise the cost of mailing a letter since so many people use e-mail because regular mail is slow and costly.

Yeah, that’ll work.


10 posted on 04/24/2008 9:28:46 PM PDT by Rembrandt (We would have won Viet Nam w/o Dim interference.)
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To: bruinbirdman
The lousy exchange rate and these stupid taxes make it real easy to strike the UK off my list of vacation destinations. The sad thing is that the UK is the only place I've ever paid money to visit on vacation. There's lots of great places in America that I haven't visited yet...and they aren't trying to keep me away with asinine taxes.
11 posted on 04/24/2008 9:59:56 PM PDT by Myrddin
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To: bruinbirdman

These leftwing loons are just chomping at the bit to start implementing “carbon taxes on everything all over the world, aren’t they.

They never explain how this tax is going to reduce global warming, lower the ‘evil carbon’ output of jet engines, cars etc.

As far as I can see, it doesn’t. In Vancouver for example, the carbon tax on gasoline has been used to pay teachers more, pay striking garbage men more, pay for more drug addicts free needles and shooting up spots. Maybe that reduces “evil carbon” somehow, but I’m just too dumb to see it...


12 posted on 04/24/2008 11:52:07 PM PDT by Nathan Zachary
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To: The_Republican
"I think most reasonable minds would agree that if Caps melt, we could have coastal areas go under water and that would not be a small thing." No they wouldn't. Most of that ice is already in water, and just as ice cubes in a glass of water, do not increase the oceans volume as they melt.

Greenland and the Arctic land masses have been ice free before, were lush and tropical in fact. there is no evidence that coastal regions were underwater at that time. In fact the only time they were was when the ice sheet in more recent times covered most of North America, causing vertical continental drift. (depression into the mantle).

13 posted on 04/25/2008 12:00:59 AM PDT by Nathan Zachary
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To: bruinbirdman; Timeout; Entrepreneur; Defendingliberty; WL-law; Genesis defender; proud_yank; ...
"They said that Treasury proposals to raise charges on environmental grounds could make overseas travel an increasingly costly luxury."

 




Beam me to Planet Gore !

14 posted on 04/25/2008 2:45:15 PM PDT by steelyourfaith
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To: Grizzled Bear

At some point, if clear-thinking people act, these crooks will be met with mob reprisals.


15 posted on 04/25/2008 2:47:32 PM PDT by Gaffer
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To: Nathan Zachary

Ice floating on water or water suspended if melted would increase the level of the sea? Somehow Archimedes must be spinning in his grave. I could see landborne ice melting possibly causing a problem if wholesale, but liberal ecologic is beyond me.


16 posted on 04/25/2008 2:49:46 PM PDT by Gaffer
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