Call for an instant quote 0345 90 80 161
Open Mon to Fri 09:00 - 17:30 | Sat 09:00 - 16:00 (GMT)
25 November 2014 12:52
Children should be exempt from APD according to a group of MPs
Plane tickets for children under the age of 12 should be exempt from VAT, according to a group of MPs.
An Early Day Motion backed by more than 30 politicians is calling on the Government to scrap Air Passenger Duty (APD) for youngsters to help make holidays more affordable for families.
They argue that families should not face any additional punitive taxes, as having to book flights during the school holidays means they already pay a premium.
The MPs say VAT on a trip to Florida is around £94 per passenger, so a family of four could save £188 if the APD was scrapped. Those travelling to Spain could save £13 per child, leaving them with more cash for holiday essentials such as family travel insurance.
Britons currently pay more tax on flights than people anywhere else in the world, with only four other European countries charging a similar tax at all.
Of these, Germany levies the next highest tax after the UK, but charges passengers less than half of what Britons pay
APD also applies to passengers on domestic flights, so it could hit families wishing to travel from England to Scotland or other parts of the UK.
A new poll for campaign group Scrap The Tax On Family Flights has found that four-fifths of Britons believe every child should have an annual family holiday.
The research by ComRes also revealed that three in four Britons think it's unfair that families from outside the UK do not get charged APD.
Two in three agree with the group of MPs that under-12s should be exempt from APD, just like they are exempt from VAT on clothing and some food items as well as other taxes.
Scrap The Tax On Family Flights spokesman Dale Keller said charging children APD puts a strain on family holiday budgets and falls short of "the Government's own family test".
Abolishing the tax could help families save on their annual holidays and would only come "at a minimal cost to the Government", he added.
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen, who launched the Early Day Motion, said families must be able to have an annual holiday, and ministers could help make this more affordable by scrapping APD.
22 September 2017
A new computer code that can be applied to GP surgery data could be the answer to identifying those most at risk of developing bowel cancer.
[more...]
21 September 2017
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a warning over a growing resistance to antibiotics.
20 September 2017
Thousands of Ryanair flights have been cancelled over the next six weeks, as the airline says it "messed up" allocation of its pilots' annual leave.
19 September 2017
Manchester's Girlguides are being urged to help the elderly with a new badge incentivising youngsters to tackle senior loneliness.
16 September 2017
Holidaymakers are being evacuated as winds up to 200km per hour hit Central Vietnam, with Typhoon Doksuri damaging houses, roads and infrastructure.
15 September 2017
People in parts of East Anglia are eight times more likely to survive liver disease than Blackpool residents, according to new data by Public Health England (PHE).
14 September 2017
A non-invasive alternative to gastric bypass surgery that helps people with Type 2 diabetes lose weight is being recommended for widespread use by NHS experts.
13 September 2017
Almost half of UK adults travelling to areas at risk of malaria are not covering themselves by taking medication, despite recommendations made by the NHS and world health organisations.
12 September 2017
A new health warning has been issued by scientists in Sweden, suggesting e-cigarettes with nicotine could lead to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.
09 September 2017
Researchers have developed a futuristic pen-like device that can tell whether someone has cancer much faster than current technology.
08 September 2017
A staffing crisis in the NHS is seeing cancer patients turned away from their GP surgery and instead visiting A&E, a report has claimed.
07 September 2017
Whether it's binge-watching box-sets, shopping for clothes, chatting to friends or picking up work emails, staying connected is pretty much essential to everyday life.