Tories reveal plans for green tax hike on air travel
 

Millions of people who fly abroad every year are to be taxed on the number of miles they travel, under audacious Conservative plans to seize the initiative over climate change.

Passengers would be issued with a 'green miles' allowance and forced to pay more if they took extra flights, under the proposals from shadow Chancellor George Osborne.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/polit...031199,00.html

Surely it is simpler to increase jet fuel prices across the board. Just another bureacratic tax to keep Whitehall busy.

"Under the Tories' Green Miles proposal - to be launched at a City summit tomorrow with business leaders such as Tesco boss Terry Leahy and James Murdoch of BSkyB - passengers could take one short-haul flight tax-free but then pay more for any extra air travel."

It is a truly sad day when the Tory party of the UK begins to act more like the former Commissars of the USSR.

4 years ago I was gagging to get in to this country. Now I'm gagging to get out. I'm thinking Germany or Slovakia. If I need to go east. Or Canada if I go west.

UK is getting seriously silly.

There is a 2nd part which has been proposed.

"The taxes arising from this will be used to reduce taxation in other areas. An alternative is to subject fares to VAT at 17.5%"

Amazingly a series of vox pop interviews indicates that these ideas have attracted quite a positive response because those interviewed felt that they would pay up as they would be helping to save the planet!! :rolleyes:

Me...I will settle for a warm grave and being buried clutching my FF statements and my Platinum Elite card!!! ;)

Exraf

You would think that the airlines would start lobbying against these ignorant taxes.

On top of the already ridiculous UK taxes that recently took effect? :td:

It's becoming increasingly difficult to justify visiting or transiting the UK.

And what is the rationale for exempting the once-a-year traveler? While his or her contribution to airplane-induced pollution will be substantially less than that of a much more frequent traveler, it will still be something and should be taxed accordingly if these unwelcome new taxes actually become a reality.

As an example of what will truly happen if this tax goes into affect I will make my next trip from the USA longer, thereby polluting MORE, and land in Germany or France and then travel by ferry or train to London.

It may not save me any money but it sure will hit there airlines in the pocket, as well as avoiding their inane taxes.

:D :D

This is all just getting silly.

If the UK gets that through Germany will not be an alterantive either since they are eyeing with some thing similar....

Imagine all the bureaucrats required to implement this absurd proposal. The fact that this is on top of the recently *doubled* taxes really is an outrage. I bet things will change once the UK sees tourism drop.