Nine European Union countries have signed a statement calling for aviation tax to be introduced on the continent. The proposed tax would hold airlines accountable for the amount of pollution they produce.
At present, all aviation fuel used in Europe has been tax exempt. But given that emissions have increased by 21% in the last year, “fiscal policy has a key role to play” if climate targets are to be achieved.
The coalition of countries signing the statement this week was led by the Dutch and joined by France, Germany, Italy Luxembourg, Sweden, Belgium, Bulgaria and Denmark.
“Compared to most other means of transportation, aviation is not sufficiently priced,” the letter said.
The demands call for a Europe-wide aviation tax to address the environmental impact of flying and to level out the playing field for current EU member states. Currently, EU countries operate under different laws. France has a levy on its airlines to account for the environmental cost, Sweden introduced an aviation tax in 2018, and the Netherlands is planning to introduce one in 2020 if an EU agreement isn’t reached before then.
Read more at: EuroNews
