Air Passenger Duty : Thu Aug 30, 2012 10:56 am  

Fill in your postcode and send your MP a letter

Fill in your postcode and send your MP a letter

[DaveO]

Re: Air Passenger Duty : Thu Aug 30, 2012 11:37 am  

Standee wrote: Fill in your postcode and send your MP a letter I would if the letter proposed making up for the lost revenue by reversing the cut in in the top rate of tax from 50% to 45%. Flying is a luxury and while APD does affect me and I don't like paying it I don't see any justification in cutting it when it would most likely be paid for in a tax hike or benefit cut elsewhere, no doubt affecting those who can't even dream of taking a foreign holiday by air as opposed to the well off who benefited from the cut in the top rate of tax.

Standee wrote: Fill in your postcode and send your MP a letter I would if the letter proposed making up for the lost revenue by reversing the cut in in the top rate of tax from 50% to 45%. Flying is a luxury and while APD does affect me and I don't like paying it I don't see any justification in cutting it when it would most likely be paid for in a tax hike or benefit cut elsewhere, no doubt affecting those who can't even dream of taking a foreign holiday by air as opposed to the well off who benefited from the cut in the top rate of tax.

Re: Air Passenger Duty : Thu Aug 30, 2012 12:12 pm  

DaveO wrote: I would if the letter proposed making up for the lost revenue by reversing the cut in in the top rate of tax from 50% to 45%. Flying is a luxury and while APD does affect me and I don't like paying it I don't see any justification in cutting it when it would most likely be paid for in a tax hike or benefit cut elsewhere, no doubt affecting those who can't even dream of taking a foreign holiday by air as opposed to the well off who benefited from the cut in the top rate of tax. Its all about your priorities I'll sign yours Standee when you sign mine and admit mine might just affect far more people in this country than air tax. http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/20968

DaveO wrote: I would if the letter proposed making up for the lost revenue by reversing the cut in in the top rate of tax from 50% to 45%. Flying is a luxury and while APD does affect me and I don't like paying it I don't see any justification in cutting it when it would most likely be paid for in a tax hike or benefit cut elsewhere, no doubt affecting those who can't even dream of taking a foreign holiday by air as opposed to the well off who benefited from the cut in the top rate of tax. Its all about your priorities I'll sign yours Standee when you sign mine and admit mine might just affect far more people in this country than air tax. http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/20968

Re: Air Passenger Duty : Thu Aug 30, 2012 12:31 pm  

If aviation fuel attracted the same VAT and duty that rail operators have to pay, that would level up the playing field a little.
But they don't mention that.

Re: Air Passenger Duty : Thu Aug 30, 2012 2:13 pm  

As someone else has pointed out, flying is a luxury, especially long haul, the vast majority of which are for holidays and those that aren't could probably be served just as well by video conference (I thought we were all going that way in the autumn of 2001).

Taxing luxuries is not unusual, pay the tax and stop whingeing.

Re: Air Passenger Duty : Thu Aug 30, 2012 2:28 pm  

JerryChicken wrote:

As someone else has pointed out, flying is a luxury, especially long haul, the vast majority of which are for holidays and those that aren't could probably be served just as well by video conference (I thought we were all going that way in the autumn of 2001).

Taxing luxuries is not unusual, pay the tax and stop whingeing.

How can you say long haul flying is a luxury?? Maybe business or first class but economy is a sweaty, tedious, horrible, knackering
journey. Tax First and Business class yes but not economy flights.

[DaveO]

Re: Air Passenger Duty : Thu Aug 30, 2012 2:32 pm  

JerryChicken wrote:

As someone else has pointed out, flying is a luxury, especially long haul, the vast majority of which are for holidays and those that aren't could probably be served just as well by video conference (I thought we were all going that way in the autumn of 2001).

Taxing luxuries is not unusual, pay the tax and stop whingeing.

Well by the sounds of it they are going to put APD onto business air fares as well (I thought it already applied but reading that letter suggests it doesn't).

I can see businesses objecting to that with good reason as it just put their costs up but for holiday travel there is no justification for reducing the duty in my opinion.

Mind you having said that if APD is a tax/duty businesses can't legally avoid then it might go some small way to eking at least some tax out of the conniving bar-stewards.

[DaveO]

Re: Air Passenger Duty : Thu Aug 30, 2012 2:56 pm  

Ovavoo wrote:

How can you say long haul flying is a luxury?? Maybe business or first class but economy is a sweaty, tedious, horrible, knackering
journey. Tax First and Business class yes but not economy flights.

It might not be a luxurious way to travel but going on holiday's that require long haul air travel is most definitely a luxury. (Though having done it with Virgin Atlantic to Orlando it is not as you describe anyway).

For business travel any companies that have not already mandated you always fly economy (as the firm I work for did a few years ago) would do soon do so if what you suggest was implemented. Sending employees economy class would just be yet another tax avoidance measure.

Re: Air Passenger Duty : Thu Aug 30, 2012 3:37 pm  

Ovavoo wrote:

How can you say long haul flying is a luxury?? Maybe business or first class but economy is a sweaty, tedious, horrible, knackering
journey. Tax First and Business class yes but not economy flights.

Its a luxury that is already subsidised by our government - if a bar of chocolate can be classed as a luxury item and taxed accordingly then taking a flight for a holiday certainly can - if you drive your car to Scarborough for a holiday you'll be taxed for the effort both in the vehicle and with the fuel - why should flight travel be any different ?

Re: Air Passenger Duty : Thu Aug 30, 2012 3:43 pm  

One reason we pay such a huge amount in airport tax compared with other Eu countries (and beer duty, for example, where we pay 40% of the total beer duty paid in the whole EU) is obviously because most other countries don't see it as their job to play number two western world superpower and tour the world with our forces spending untold billions on running gigs in Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.