Apd News
Chancellor confirms increase in Air Passenger Duty
Delivering his annual Budget UK chancellor George Osborn has confirmed Air Passenger Duty will rise later this year. Addressing the House of Commons earlier, Osborn said APD rates will increase by eight per cent from April 1st.
Renewed calls for changes to Air Passenger Duty ahead of Budget
A group of leading chief executives from aviation, tourism and the trade unions have delivered an open letter to the British chancellor of the exchequer calling for changes to Air Passenger Duty ahead of the 2012 Budget on Wednesday. The group brands the tax “short-sighted and ill-considered” and argues it “will place the UK at an even greater competitive disadvantage” with emerging markets.
ASTA Joins WTTC to oppose UK APD
ASTA joined the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) today in opposition to a proposed increase in the UK Air Passenger Duty. The tax, while expected to add £2.8 billion ($4.4 billion) in additional taxes to UK government coffers, is also forecast to dampen the demand for travel and ultimately would harm not only the UK economy but also those countries to which the British travel most frequently, including the United States and Caribbean nations.
Airline chiefs call for Air Passenger Duty reversal
In a rare moment of unity in this most competitive of industries, leaders from four major UK-based carriers have called on the government to repeal Air Passenger Duty ahead of airlines’ entry into the new European Union-backed Emissions Trading Scheme. APD was initially conceived as a ‘green tax’, designed to force airlines to pay for the externalities caused to the environment by commercial aviation.
2012 Trends - APD hikes strike hammer blow for overseas trips
New research from Blue Chip Holidays has revealed that holiday habits are set to significantly shift towards British breaks in 2012. Its findings show that concerns about the cost of holidaying abroad, combined with the impact of next April’s Air Passenger Duty (APD) hikes, are set to deal a hammer blow to overseas holidays and bring a boom in the popularity of domestic breaks.
Government APD announcement - SIA response
Today’s announcement that there will be no changes to the APD banding system is deeply disappointing and is yet another blow to the aviation industry in the UK following the rise in APD revealed by the Chancellor in his Autumn statement.
WTTC rues ‘missed opportunity’ over APD
World Travel & Tourism Council president David Scowsill has branded a British government decision not to restructure Air Passenger Duty a “missed opportunity”. Scowsill was speaking after confirmation earlier from chancellor George Osborne the levy would not be altered ahead of a planned ten per cent increase in April next year.
Consultation on air passenger duty a complete waste of time
The Board of Airline Representatives in the UK (BAR UK) has reacted with total dismay to HM Treasury’s long awaited response to consultation ‘Reform to Air Passenger Duty’.
UK government rules out structural changes to Air Passenger Duty
Despite strong calls for reform from industry and passengers, the British government has revealed it will not make any structural changes to Air Passenger Duty following a lengthy consultation process. The announcement follows the release of the Autumn Statement last week, which revealed a ten per cent increase in APD from April 2012.
Osborne confirms business jets will pay APD… in 2013
Passengers on business jets will be expected to pay Air Passenger Duty the chancellor of the exchequer, George Osborne, has confirmed. However, owners have been given an additional year’s grace, with the introduction of the tax moved from April 2012 to 2013.
e-petition launched against APD rise
An e-petition has been launched by Multicom calling on the government to rethink an expected rise in Air Passenger Duty (APD) next year due to the impact it will have on struggling EU destinations.
UK airlines renew assault on Air Passenger Duty
Four airlines in the United Kingdom and Ireland have united to reiterate their strong opposition to Air Passenger Duty. Usually antagonistic rivals easyJet and Ryanair were joined by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic in outlining their resistance to the tax during a consultation process with the coalition government.