Res Communis

Business jet operators slam UK government plan to hit them with APD

by Sara M. Langston with the blog faculty

Source: Flightglobal

The UK government’s plans to extend air passenger duty to cover business jets have caused anger among the sector’s operators, which are concerned about having to pay local environmental taxes in addition to paying for their emissions under the European Union’s emissions trading scheme.

London Executive Aviation managing director George Galanopoulos wants the UK government’s levy to apply to foreign operators in order to maintain a level playing field. “What is important from our point of view is that if there is going to be a tax, it has to be applicable to everyone, not just UK operators,” he says.

The European Business Aviation Association slammed the move when it was announced as part of the UK Budget in March, warning that it would persuade aviation interests to move offshore and some companies to move their offices outside the UK.

EBAA chief operating officer Pedro Vicente Azua believes that if each EU member state were to introduce its own environmental levy in addition to the emissions trading scheme, it would make life very difficult for business aviation operators. [Full story]