Diane calls for action on air passenger duty rises.
18 Jan 2011
Diane Abbott MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington hosted a meeting in Parliament this week, to put forward a powerful lobby ahead of the upcoming Government consultations on reforming air passenger duty. Diane is Chair of the All Party parliamentary Group on the British Caribbean.
Air passenger duty has risen four-fold since 2006 and is currently the highest aviation tax in the world. Reforms have been criticised as major discrepancies in the charging of the tax on flights remain. With rates determined by the distance of a country’s capital city rather than the traveller’s destination, taxes on flights to the Caribbean are still higher than taxes to flights to the USA despite the shorter distance.
Diane has also called Westminster Hall debate on this issue to coincide with this week’s meeting, and will be putting forward her concerns over the current system to Treasury Minister Justine Greening in Parliament this Thursday. Diane will also lead a delegation to meet with the Economic Minister to put forward informed suggestions for the reforms to air passenger duty.
Diane today expressed her delight at securing a discussion on this issue and has said:
“The rates of air passenger duty are a concern for many people in my constituency and travellers up and down the country who take flights to long-haul destinations. The fact that we have the highest aviation tax rates in the world is bad enough; however the irregular way in which duty is calculated is still the biggest matter of contention for those that I have spoken to.
“I am completely confident that through working with Caribbean representatives and politicians of all parties, we will devise a fair and practical solution to the air passenger duty problem, with something that we can take to the Economic Minister that will constructively contribute towards reforming this tax”.
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