Another biting increase in Britain’s controversial Air Passenger Duty has now taken effect, prompting airlines to call on the British government to review the impact of that travel tax denounced by Caribbean and other long haul destinations affected by it.
The 8 percent APD rise officially took effect on Sunday (April 1), as had been announced by the UK government in its Autumn Statement last year.
For short-haul flights, the tax has increased from £12 (US$19.22) to £13 (US$20.82).
For long-haul flights of more than 4,000 miles, it has gone up from £85 (US$136.22) to £92 (US$147.40).
In light of the increase, major airlines including Virgin Atlantic and British Airways have called on the coalition administration in London to review the impact on “hard working families”.
In a joint statement the bosses of Easyjet, British Airways owner IAG, Ryanair and Virgin Atlantic said the increase would “hit millions of hard-working families and damage the wider economy”.
“We urge [Chancellor] George Osborne to make APD the first tax to be examined under the Treasury’s new review of the wider impacts of taxation on the economy,” they said.
Caribbean countries are on record as pointing to the impact of the APD – they along with the Caribbean Tourism Organisation contend that the tax has resulted in declining numbers of Britons visiting the Caribbean.
The 8 percent increase means that British travelers to the Caribbean region, which falls into the 4,001–6,000 miles band, will pay US$257 extra on a ticket, up from US$238.
There are four bands of APD. Tax on short-haul flights has gone up from £12 to £13.
Longer flights up to 4,000 miles have seen an increase from £60 (US$96.14) to £65 (US$104.17), while tax on flights between 4,000 and 6,000 miles has risen from £75 (US$120) to £81 (US$129.78).
APD on flights above 6,000 miles has increased from £85 (US$136.22) to £92 (US$147.43).
The tax was first introduced in 1994; passengers had to pay £5 (US$8) for departures from the UK to Europe and £10 for anywhere else.
However since then APD has soared by as much as 360 per cent, with long-haul destinations seeing the highest increases in taxation.
Caribbean countries have blasted the tax as being discriminatory and harmful to their tourism prospects.
The UK is still raping the world!! They can’t force anyone anymore to collect taxes without returning services. So they made up a tax.
This is what we get after they plundered our countries resources during the days of slavery. I have no sympathy for them when Al ……. strike them.
Now our leaders must promote ‘Regional Tourism’ by removing all the taxes on LIAT!!!!! Go to http://www.liat.com and book a flight to St Lucia and view the taxes on the ticket…
I won’t be able to go to the Caribbean the way things area looking.. the taxes are so high! Can’t believe they’re charging £700 for a child of two years.. utterly ridiculous
Greed will be their downfall.