Demands grow for government to cancel APD increases

www.bar-uk.org

The growing number of opponents to the proposed rise in Air Passenger Duty (APD) has been joined by the Board of Airline Representatives in the UK (BAR UK).

The board, representing over 90 scheduled carriers, is calling on the UK government to scrap its plan to increase APD in November of 2009 and again in November of 2010.

BAR UK has described APD as a “stealth tax on the travelling public” that will be harmful to UK businesses and, in particular, act as a tariff barrier against carriers operating in the UK.

The group is arguing that the tax is “utterly inconsistent” in the manner in which it is levied, causing disadvantages to some destinations, such as in the Caribbean, having a tax rate higher than that for Hawaii.

A likely result is that long-haul travellers will depart from another European airport, and possible avoid travel to the UK altogether.

The board is claiming that the tax adds another financial burden during the airline industry’s current difficult trading period and that many airlines may have to delay investing in technologies aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

Mike Carrivick, the BAR UK chief executive, said: “It’s about time the government listened and understood the detrimental effects the new APD levels will impose. The new APD regime is effectively a tariff barrier that is purposefully aimed to hit the pockets of the flying public.”

Thanks to www.travelmole.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

www.bar-uk.org