© British Airways
Higher aviation taxes could reduce no. of British tourists
There is growing opposition in the UK over government plans to increase air passenger duty for the fourth time in five years. According to research by ABTA, three quarters of MPs believe the planned increases for 2012 may mean ordinary families can no longer afford to holiday abroad.
The ComRes survey was commissioned by the travel association in advance of the chancellor's annual autumn statement, when he is expected to increase APD by around 10%. A total of 150 cross-party MPs were surveyed.
UK passengers already face taxes up to 30 times higher than those living on the continent. 2012 will also see the introduction of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), designed to make the aviation industry meet its environmental costs. Many EU countries are scrapping their version of APD to offset this new tax.
There are fears the increases will affect incoming tourists who pay tax on their flights home, as well as the British people planning to holiday abroad. Figures from the office of national statistics already show a downward trend in passenger numbers year on year. In 2010, the number of passengers flying from the UK to Europe fell by 3.4 million to 42.6 million.
