The Campaign for Better Transport (CfBT) is calling on the UK government to impost a tenfold increase in the air passenger duty (APD) for private charter flights. The environmental transportation group also wants business aviation to lose its current exemption from the country’s 20 percent value-added tax (VAT) and for this levy to be imposed on every aircraft movement, regardless of flight duration.
From April 2023, the UK’s APD rates for commercially-operated business aircraft will range from £78 ($94) for flights up to 2,000 miles to £601 ($721) for flights longer than 5,500 miles. In a statement issued on December 30, the CfBT demanded that these increase to £780 and £6,010, respectively, claiming that this “super APD tax” could raise around £1.4 billion annually to support investment in public ground transportation. It stated that applying VAT for every aircraft movement would raise between £79 million and £623 million per year.
“Private jets are hugely damaging to the environment and are the preserve of the super-rich,” said CfBT director of external affairs Norman Baker. “We think it’s about time these individuals started paying for the damage their flights cause and the proceeds used to help improve public transport up and down the country.”
The group claims that private jets are between 5 and 14 times more polluting than commercial flights and 50 times more polluting than trains. It also stated that the UK is responsible for 19 percent of emissions from private jets in Europe.
The British Business and General Aviation Association was approached to comment. During 2022, environmental groups have been stepping up campaigns for increased taxes on private aviation, and, in some cases, bans on short flights.