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.
29 September 2016
Tour operator Thomas Cook says its earnings are still being impacted by recent terror attacks.
[more...]
28 September 2016
The English tourism industry is predicted to grow faster than the overall economy every year for the next decade, according to new research.
27 September 2016
Monarch Airlines says its flights are operating as normal amid fears the firm is in financial trouble.
24 September 2016
Slim people who look physically healthy may still be at increased chance of being diagnosed with bowel cancer if they have raised insulin levels, according new research.
23 September 2016
Theresa May is being urged to give the go-ahead for flights to resume between the UK and Sharm el-Sheikh by the head of the cross-party parliamentary group on Egypt.
22 September 2016
Budget airline Jet2.com is to open its first base in the south of England at Stansted.
21 September 2016
Smoking rates have dropped to the lowest level on record in England, new figures show, suggesting messages about the health effects of cigarettes are hitting home.
20 September 2016
Concerns have been raised over flight disruptions caused by heavy drinking among passengers.
17 September 2016
British Airways' decision to launch direct flights from London to Tehran earlier this month positions Iran as one of the hottest destinations to visit in 2017, according to experts.
16 September 2016
More than 100 flights have been cancelled as French air traffic controllers go on strike again.
15 September 2016
Two thirds of MPs would support an expansion at Heathrow.
14 September 2016
TripAdvisor is launching a new homepage, making the booking of holiday activities and tours even easier.