Rumours about air tax budget increase

Rumours 'flying' around the interweb about this weeks budget ....

From November 1 2009, Air Passenger Duty will be structured around four distance bands, set at intervals of 2,000 miles from London.

In economy those flying to zone A, which encompasses all of Europe, will pay 11, rising to 12 the following year

Flying to zone B, such as north Africa will pay 45, rising to 60

Flying to zone C, such as the Caribbean, the USA and India will pay 50, rising to 75.

Those flying more than 6,000 miles to countries such as Australia will pay 55 next year and 85 the following year.


Business class tax will also increase. If you fly to Australia, the current Air Passenger Duty is 80 but this will increase to 110 next year and then 170 the following year.

I guess we will have to wait until tomorrow to find out if this is fact or scaremongering [:?]
David

[Scrooge]

Proof yet again that HMG would love nothing more than to tax the country into bankruptcy.

This was discussed a while back, but with the impending budget I think it is a good time to revive the subject.

quote:Originally posted by Scrooge
Proof yet again that HMG would love nothing more than to tax the country into bankruptcy.



I think we 'are' bankrupt and they are trying to tax their way out of it [}:)]

David

I hate to say this but it appears to be quite certain it will happen as it was announced in the Pre Budget report in November last year.[V]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7748190.stm

May explain why my flight leaves the UK on 31 October to avoid the sharp rise the next day and Virgin already have the new rates in for flights on and after 1 November.

Yep, it's been loaded in the booking systems for quite a while. GB is the UK departure tax.

Flight leaving Lon on 31Oct
NYC VS 0003 X *X 31OCT 0920
LON VS 0018 X *X 08NOV 0805
GBP 133.00 31OCT09LON VS NYC93.24VS LON93.24NUC186.48
GBP 106.00YQ XT GBP 40.00GB GBP 21.20UB GBP 3.70YC GBP 5.00YQ 10.90US GBP 10.90US GBP 3.40XA GBP 4.70XY
GBP 99.50XT GBP 1.70AY GBP 3.00XF EWR4.50
GBP 343.50

Flight leaving Lon on 1st Nov
NYC VS 0003 X *X 01NOV 0920
LON VS 0018 X *X 08NOV 0805
GBP 133.00 01NOV09LON VS NYC93.24VS LON93.24NUC186.48
GBP 106.00YQ XT GBP 45.00GB GBP 21.20UB GBP 3.70YC GBP
GBP 5.00YQ 10.90US GBP 10.90US GBP 3.40XA GBP 4.70XY
GBP 104.50XT GBP 1.70AY GBP 3.00XF WR4.50
GBP 348.50

If this doesn't become law I wonder if VS will refund people the extra UK dearture tax they have already collected. I can't see people at the airport going throough the queues handing back fivers!

If it was announced in the pre-budget last November report then it is already the 'law' otherwise VS and other airlines would not be legally charging the new rates.

So this is hardly 'new' or a 'surprise'

[Neil]

Can't see any mention of this in the budget?

quote:Originally posted by Neil
Can't see any mention of this in the budget?

Neil, it takes time for everyone to read everything through to find out what this government is hiding in the small print. Only then do we start to find out what the real budget is:

Air Tax Increase

[Neil]

quote:Originally posted by mdvipond
quote:Originally posted by Neil
Can't see any mention of this in the budget?

Neil, it takes time for everyone to read everything through to find out what this government is hiding in the small print. Only then do we start to find out what the real budget is:

APD Changes


Oh well, will have little impact on what we do with our flights/holidays, just another way of getting more money out of us
[V]

[RichardMannion]

I'm loving David Cameron's response: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8012526.stm

quote:Originally posted by RichardMannion
I'm loving David Cameron's response: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8012526.stm

Inspired; they should make that bloke PM.

[Neil]

quote:Originally posted by mdvipond
quote:Originally posted by RichardMannion
I'm loving David Cameron's response: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8012526.stm

Inspired; they should make that bloke PM.




[y]

quote:Originally posted by RichardMannion
I'm loving David Cameron's response: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8012526.stm


That's as maybe.

The present incumbents may indeed be guilty of 'not fixing the roof when the sun was shining', to quote David Cameron. The signs had been around for a while, before everything started to implode.

But it's very easy to criticise from the Opposition dispatch box.

What many seem to be forgetting is that the seeds of the era of corporate corruptness and individual greed, along with useless regulation of corporations and finance houses were sown during the Conservative (Thatcher/Major) Government in the UK and the Reagan administration in the US.

Therefore David Cameron can't just 'wash whiter than white'.

He needs to acknowledge that a predecessor Conservative Government's policies have to shoulder some of the responsibility for where we stand today, and most importantly, what lessons the Cameron Opposition have learned from the decisions taken by their predecessors.

However, I fear we are getting off topic...

Mike

quote:Originally posted by mike-smashing
quote:Originally posted by RichardMannion
I'm loving David Cameron's response: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8012526.stm


However, I fear we are getting off topic...

Mike

Off topic by about 20 years, I'd say...

Mr Cameron just comes accross as a meely mouthed oik to me with nothing but jibes and no solutions of his own.

That said the demise of new labour happened today and we are back to spiteful socialism.

quote:Originally posted by RichardMannion
I'm loving David Cameron's response: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8012526.stm


Cheap soundbite after cheap soundbite and no different solution IMO. I agree with Mike, he's got front benchers who were key in relaxing marketing regulations (Ken Clarke) and his party has a big chunk of the blame as well as this one (and all the bankers and indeed us, suckers all for believing any of this mess of a crew knew what they were doing). That said, at least he sounded angry and someone needs to, perhaps in being angry he could work out his own line and dole out blame proportionally.

Off topic maybe, but I for one am counting up the extra taxes I'll be paying and I'm not happy. Air passenger duty pales into insignificance.