With only days to head until the Budget, airlines are fast losing confidence that the Chancellor will announce a tax regime so as to boost jobs and growth in keeping with the Board of Airline Representatives inside the UK (BAR UK).
Dale Keller, chief executive, said “As the united kingdom fights off challengers to its position because the world’s leading aviation hub, airlines are becoming alarmed by the plain loss of Treasury understanding that Air Passenger Duty (APD) is a fundamental section of aviation policy. The Chancellor wants a connected economy that’s at the move and aviation is actually central to achieving this.
“Yet the govt seems single-minded in its like to clip the wings of an industry that remains considered one of our remaining success stories and which funds its own infrastructure. Does the united kingdom really want, or deserve, the very best aviation tax on earth by a substantial margin Perhaps airlines were such a success in delivering an effective and more sophisticated travelling experience that the Chancellor’s perception is that of an industry generating fat margins and big profits. The actual problem is that APD began as a small tax with supposed environmental credentials but has grown right into a monster this is more ‘user pays twice’ than ‘user pays’. It’s time to finish this nonsense.
“It can not be right that the Treasury and Government can continue to dismiss over 200,000 emails to MP’s, 12,000 emails to cabinet ministers, continued requires a Treasury economic impact review, compelling new evidence in a PricewaterhouseCoopers report according to the Treasury’s own modelling and expert input from ‘A Fair Tax on Flying’ and virtually every trade association and industry analyst.
“BAR UK urges the Chancellor to do the best thing for the rustic and kick start the economy on this Budget by reducing or scrapping this stifling and ineffective tax.”