LOBBYISTS fighting a threat from the European Commission to make the UK charge Air Passenger Duty on return domestic flights have warned the move could wreck the Scottish tourist economy.
In the run-up to the Scottish elections, lobby group F-Air Passenger Duty For All, which has fought hard to dissuade chancellor of the exchequer Gordon Brown from raising APD, said the move would threaten thousands of jobs and businesses in Scotland. It argues that travellers would refuse to pay the extra return-leg tax.
Chairman Richard Tobias said: “Currently you only have to pay ú10 tax on departure and nothing for the return leg if it’s domestic. But this new plan would mean you would pay ú20. That’s more than if you travel from London to Paris where you would pay ú10 from London and about ú5 for the way back. It’s ridiculous.”
The EC argues it is a contravention of European law not to treat all departures, domestic or not, as European departures.