LOW-COST carriers EasyJet and Ryanair are exploiting a loophole in the Advertising Standards Authority’s code of practice by quoting non-tax inclusive prices on their Web sites.
The companies do not include taxes in their headline prices, but they quote them as soon as users have selected a flight they are interested in.
The ASA code says that prices in advertisements must include VAT and other non-optional taxes and duties. However, an ASA spokesman admitted it was impossible to say whether EasyJet and Ryanair were breaking the code.
He said that until the ASA received a complaint, it could not make a ruling, but warned that its research team was planning to undertake a monitoring exercise in this area.
“We would encourage them to include taxes as early as possible on their sites, rather than leaving it until a customer is about to buy,” he said.
An EasyJet spokeswoman said tax information was only “one click” away from the front page of its site. A Ryanair spokesman pointed out that the terms and conditions on its front page state that tax is payable.