The Chancellor announced in this year’s Budget that APD will rise by double inflation in 2012. Passengers travelling through airports will be leafleted by staff wearing ‘Hands off our Holiday, Mr Taxman’ T-shirts and are being urged to tell their MPs to say ‘Hands off our holiday’ to the Chancellor.
The campaign, backed by the Airport Operators Association (AOA), Board of Airline Representatives in the UK (BAR-UK), and the British Air Transport Association (BATA) is urging people to email their MP via the website www.handsoffourholiday.com and to tweet their support for the hikes to be abandoned using the hashtag #handsoffourhols.
The poll, carried out by Opinium Research for the Hands off our Holiday campaign also shows that nearly 4 out of 5 people were unaware of the plans to further increase the tax by double inflation.
Commenting on the campaign, Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the AOA, said: "Our message to the Chancellor is that enough is enough. Air Passenger Duty has already gone up by 325% on long haul flights and 140% on short haul flights in the last five years. Family finances are under great pressure at the moment and most people save hard all year for their holiday. Working families deserve a break."
Mike Carrivick, Chief Executive of BAR-UK, added: "The UK already has the highest rate of flight tax in the world. Why should families be discriminated against for wanting to fly off on a hard-earned break once a year?"
Simon Buck, Chief Executive of BATA said: "The government already takes nearly £3bn in tax from passengers. This is more than the tax on the banking industry. Most people simply aren’t aware how much flight tax they pay. The government should come clean about this stealth tax and drop the hikes planned for next year."