France will introduce a new charge on plane tickets from next year, with revenue used to fund environment-friendly alternatives, a top French official said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The ‘eco-tax’ costing between 1.50 euros (US$1.7) and 18 euros (US$20) will apply to most flights departing in France, Associated Press, AP, quoted French Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne as saying.<\/p>\n
The only exceptions will be for domestic flights to Corsica, a mountainous Mediterranean island part of France, and France’s overseas territories, and connecting flights that pass through France. It will not apply to flights arriving in France.<\/p>\n
The move received a cautious welcome from environmental campaigners, who argue that the airline industry needs to curb its greenhouse gas emissions as part of wider efforts to combat climate change.<\/p>\n
“This alone won’t do much, but it’s at least a recognition by the French government that more is required,” said Andrew Murphy, an air travel expert at Brussels-based group Transport and Environment.<\/p>\n
According to the transport minister, domestic and European flights will be taxed at 1.50 euros for economy tickets and 9 euros ($10) for business class, rising to 18 euros for business flights outside the European Union.<\/p>\n
By comparison, Britain’s air passenger duty for standard passenger planes starts at 13 pounds ($16.20), rising to a maximum of 172 pounds ($214.20), and generates more than 3 billion pounds in Treasury revenue every year.<\/p>\n
The French tax is expected to raise over 180 million euros ($200 million) from 2020 to invest in eco-friendly transport infrastructure, including rail.<\/p>\n
Murphy, the air travel expert, said the French move could boost efforts to introduce a Europe-wide tax on aviation to reflect plane travel’s environmental impact.<\/p>\n
Germany, Italy and several other European countries also already have ticket taxes. Sweden is pushing for the VAT exemption that airline fuel enjoys in Europe to be dropped.<\/p>\n
Air travel is responsible for more than two percent of man-made greenhouse gas emission, but that share is forecast to grow significantly in the coming decades.<\/p>\n
Airlines generally oppose national taxation, arguing this will simply shift plane traffic elsewhere. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) favours a system that allows airlines to offset their emissions by paying for carbon reduction efforts elsewhere, said the AP report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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