Reacting to the arena Economic Forum’s report, Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways’ parent company, IAG; Carolyn McCall, chief executive easyJet; Michael O’Leary, chief executive Ryanair and Craig Kreeger, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic jointly said:
“The WEF report shows that Britain has the very best aviation taxes and costs on the planet, ranked 139th out of 140 and rubbing shoulders with countries like Chad, Senegal and the Dominican Republic.
“It’s hard to locate another comparable table on a key measure of international competitiveness which shows the united kingdom to be trailing the remainder of the arena. This isn’t only a blow to our national pride but demonstrates the unjustified level of Air Passenger Duty and, following the new PWC report, provides further evidence that the Chancellor must take action within the Budget in this destructive tax.
“The PWC report highlighted the critical role that aviation plays as an engine of financial growth for both international commerce and tourism. It confirms that abolishing APD would offer the united kingdom economy with a GDP boost worth a minimum of £16 billion inside the first three years, generating enough extra revenue from other taxes to offer the Treasury a net gain and leading to almost 60,000 new jobs within the UK.
“We call upon the Chancellor to take advantage of the forthcoming Budget to take away APD to stimulate economic growth and create jobs.”
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