BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - Nine European Union states have
called on the bloc's incoming Commission to introduce a EU-wide
tax on aviation, in order to charge a polluting industry more
for its emissions and to put all member states on level pegging.
In a letter to the bloc's new climate official, Frans
Timmermans, the finance ministers of Germany, France, the
Netherlands, Sweden and five other EU states, called for "some
form of aviation tax" without giving specifics.
The nine countries said an aviation tax where "the polluter
pays a fairer price for the use of aviation transport" is
necessary to combat climate change. Transportation is the only
European sector currently increasing its emissions.
"Compared to most other means of transportation, aviation is
not sufficiently priced," the letter said, and recounted all the
perks currently enjoyed by the sector, including exceptions from
excise duties and the fact that no VAT is levied on
international flights.
Higher taxes on polluting industries have been hotly debated
among EU states as the EU requires unanimity when deciding on
policy, such as taxation.
Ambitious targets for reducing carbon emissions by at least
50% by 2030 are part of the agenda of the new European
Commission.
In July, France announced a tax on airlines flying from its
airports to help support the environment, a move that Air France
said would significantly hurt its competitiveness and add over
60 million euros in additional costs per year.
One of the signatories of the letter, Sweden, introduced an
aviation tax on its own in 2018 and another, the Netherlands, is
planning to introduce one in 2020 unless an EU agreement is
reached before then.
"By taking action now, we hope this important issue will
take off in Europe too," Menno Snel, the Netherlands' finance
minister said in a statement on Thursday.