Governments meeting to tax aviation must act on climate crisis say NGOs

Today’s conference of EU finance ministers and officials in the Hague to discuss ways to tax aviation and address its climate impact is a long overdue and welcome development, NGOs Transport & Environment (T&E) and Natuur & Milieu have said. Taxing aviation fuel within Europe is possible, so EU governments must not get bogged down in seeking unanimity for an EU tax but instead work bilaterally to tax airlines. Unlike road transport, airlines have never paid a single cent of excise duty on the fuel they take on at EU airports. Only six EU countries have airline ticket taxes. Member states are entirely free to expand them, and T&E and Natuur & Milieu said they should do so as they make up for revenues lost due to the VAT exemption enjoyed by airlines.