By Elliot Wright, 25th February 2010
A leading travel association is urging holidaymakers to protest
against the Government's intention to increase Air Passenger Duty -
dubbed the "flying poll tax".
The rise will come in on 1 November 2010 and follows significant
rises last year. The amount of tax paid depends on the length of
flight so families heading off to far-flung places such as Africa,
Asia, America, the Caribbean and Australasia will be hit
hardest.
The ABTA is calling on the public to write to their MPs ahead of
next month's budget and highlights the concerns of less well-off
families who travel abroad to visit friends and relatives.
A recent poll found 60% of those in the lowest social bands and
two thirds of ethnic minorities felt that APD ruses would have an
impact on how often they travelled to see their family oversees.
The same groups were equally concerned that their families would be
less able to come and visit them in the UK.
With the APD increase a family of four travelling to the USA,
Nigeria or Pakistan would pay £240 in tax and £300 for travel to
the Caribbean or India. For travel to Australia this figure rises
to £340. Before November 1 APD for these destinations was £40 per
passenger.
Mark Tanzer ABTA Chief Executive said "Air Passenger Duty is a
particularly cruel tax as it prevents many families already
suffering the effects of the recession from visiting their friends
and relatives overseas. Raising this tax even higher will mean that
many more will miss out on the chance to meet up with loved ones.
The planned increase on 1 November is unjustifiable and nothing
more than yet another stealth tax on those that can least afford
it"
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