Air Passenger Duty

Debate between Henry Smith and Michael Connarty

Thursday 1st November 2012 Commons Chamber

[Henry Smith]

My hon. Friend is right. Air passenger duty is a bad tax for the UK as a whole, regardless of which nation or region within it Members may happen to represent.

[Michael Connarty]

The hon. Gentleman is making a very good case. It is estimated that air passenger duty raises £2.6 billion, which is nearly £1 billion more than the £1.76 billion that it raises in all the other European countries. It is a tax on tourism and trade, and the Government should act before it does more damage. It is estimated that up to £3 million will be lost in trade by 2016 if the present position continues.

[Henry Smith]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right.

Members have suggested that we adopt some form of regional banding, but I think that that would be a mistake. I think that the solution is for us to get rid of air passenger duty altogether over time, or at least reduce it to a very modest level. I do not think that we should pit one part of the United Kingdom against another. We, as a relatively small country, achieved global dominance because we are a trading nation, and we either stand together or fall apart when it comes to trade. I think that we need to view the argument holistically, and to see this as very much a British issue.

In the remaining time available, let me deal with some of the misnomers that have been applied to air passenger duty. First, it is not an environmental tax. If it were I would support it, because I think it important for us to reduce our emissions whenever possible, but it is purely a revenue-raising tax—albeit a misguided one and a false economy, because it costs our economy far more than it raises. In fact, we are subject to double taxation when it comes to air duty. The European emissions trading scheme, which was introduced at the beginning of this year, is an environmental tax, and I have no complaint about it; but air passenger duty is almost certainly not.

I also want to debunk the myth that we need APD because aviation fuel and air tickets are not subject to value added tax. Under the conditions of the Chicago convention, it is impossible to charge VAT on aviation fuel and air tickets, but even if it were possible, the current APD represents a far higher amount than VAT would. We are, therefore, greatly overtaxed.

A year ago I had an Adjournment debate in which I asked the Government not to increase APD. I am sorry that I failed in that, and APD went up. Today, we are not calling for a cut in APD, however; we are simply calling for APD to be frozen at its current level until the Treasury assesses whether it is costing our economy more than it brings into the Exchequer, as I contend. The Treasury conducts surveys and studies all the time, and it is perfectly reasonable to ask it to carry out a study on this matter so that we can have some proper facts and figures and are able to make an informed decision.

The stakes are very high. We are a trading nation with competitors, not only in continental Europe but around the world, who are eager to take our business. We will lose out to them if we do not carry out an assessment so that we can understand APD’s impact on our economy and take action if necessary. I therefore hope the Government will respond positively to this reasonable motion. They should carry out a study of the effects of APD. Until that is done, we must not harm the British economy by increasing APD still further.