Response to Comments by Treasury Minister on Aviation Taxation

April 28th, 2011

Response to Comments by Treasury Minister on Aviation Taxation

Commenting on the speech by Justine Greening, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, at this morning’s ABTA Travel Matters Event, Simon Buck, Chief Executive of BATA said:

“While Justin’s Greening’s aspiration to make Air Passenger Duty “simpler, fairer and more efficient” is to be welcomed, the fact remains that the UK tax on flying is the highest in the world and this Government simply cannot make its mind up whether to support the industry or to clobber it. If the Government was serious about growing tourism to and from the UK to help boost our economic recovery, they would take positive steps to cut the damaging tax on flying as have many other EU States. Instead, they plan to increase the tax next year at the same time as airline costs will rise with the entry of aviation into the EU Emissions Trading scheme. We still have a long way to go before we see the joined-up thinking in Government circles that the travel industry so desperately needs to have. In the meantime, our continental rivals are growing their tourist industries at our expense.”

ENDS