BYM questions review of aviation tax
Britain Yearly Meeting has sent an open letter to the chancellor of the exchequer
Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) has sent a letter to the government questioning its moves to support the aviation industry by reviewing Air Passenger Duty (APD). In an open letter to the chancellor of the exchequer, Sajid Javid, BYM says that reducing APD directly threatens the UK’s net-zero commitment.
Signed by BYM’s recording clerk Paul Parker, the letter urges the government to reconsider its proposal to review the duty, saying any reduction ‘would clearly be incompatible with the UK’s legally binding carbon budgets and would seriously undermine efforts to address the escalating climate crisis’.
The letter states: ‘We know that civil society engagement is part of the government’s agenda in the lead-up to COP26, and we see strong evidence of growing public concern and willingness to act. However, people need to see leadership from government… a tax cut for polluters would send the wrong signal to the public and hamper efforts to encourage citizens to take action.’
According to the letter, ‘every kilo of its remaining carbon budget the UK uses on domestic flights – which are overwhelmingly taken by the wealthy – reduces our ability to manage the zero-carbon transition and mitigate its impacts on the poorest people. We should be welcoming the decline in domestic flights and reserving financial support for low-carbon options such as rail and bus services, to offer more people alternatives to the plane or the car.’
