Scottish Greens to introduce Frequent Flyer Levy
The Scottish Greens will replace Scotland’s Air Departure Tax with a Frequent Flyer Levy, ensuring that wealthy frequent flyers pay more than families going on their annual holidays.
The policy would overhaul how air travel is taxed in Scotland, setting a higher charge for those who fly regularly for business. This would discourage frequent flying by the wealthy, recognising the huge damage it does to the climate whilst avoiding families having to face a higher bill for their annual holiday.
This would build on the Scottish Greens’ recent success in securing a higher Air Departure Tax for private jets, which are 20-30 times as polluting as regular commercial flights. There were over 12,000 private jet flights in Scotland last year.
Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer said:
“Wealthy frequent flyers must pay a fair share towards dealing with the climate chaos their travel habits are causing.
"Families and occasional travellers who save up for their big holiday certainly shouldn’t have to pay the same rate of tax as business travellers who fly on a weekly basis. That is why the Scottish Greens will replace Air Departure Tax with a Frequent Flyer Levy.
“As we continue to battle the climate emergency, it makes no sense to stick to a system that asks the same from someone taking a single annual holiday as it does from those who fly as frequently as the rest of us get on the bus or train.
“Taxing air travel should be done in a way that recognises both the environmental damage caused by frequent flying and the pressures facing ordinary households.
“That’s why the Scottish Greens’ frequent flyer levy is a fairer alternative. It puts the cost where it belongs, on the wealthy individuals who fly over and over again and create the most pollution.
“Our plans would discourage excessive flying by the wealthiest travellers, while avoiding families being hit with a bigger bill for their annual holiday.
“It is a smarter and fairer approach, one that reflects the reality that the growth in air travel has been driven by a relatively small number of wealthy frequent flyers, not by the majority of people.
“We could use the money raised by this levy to bring down rail fares and fund our planned expansion of free bus travel to everyone in Scotland.
Ross added:
“We would also ensure that people in remote and island communities with lifeline air services are properly protected. They would be excluded from the Frequent Flyer Levy. The focus here is on wealthy businesspeople whose regular flying habits are both a disaster for the climate and completely unnecessary.”
Notes: The current UK-wide Air Passenger Duty will soon be replaced in Scotland by a new Air Departure Tax controlled by the Scottish Parliament.
