| Topic: |
Politics > Politics-USA |
| User: |
"Captain Compassion" |
| Date: |
12 Jun 2005 10:35:02 PM |
| Object: |
G8 wants tax on airline tickets to help world poor |
G8 wants tax on airline tickets to help world poor
By Philip Thornton, Economics Correspondent
13 June 2005
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/story.jsp?story=646523
Airline groups have condemned plans by the world's richest countries
to impose a tax on airline tickets to fund extra money for poor
African countries - and make a gesture towards fighting climate
change.
Finance ministers from the G8 agreed at the weekend to look at using
income from airline traffic to boost aid.
Although the tax might only amount to a few extra pence on a ticket,
experts believe the move would be a major blow to cut-price airlines
that sell tickets for as little as £1.
The move, which could add a pound on to air fares, was greeted with
delight by environmental groups who said it was a first step towards
making people pay the true cost of plane travel.
The plan emerged in the text of the communiqué issued after the
two-day meeting in London but was initially overshadowed by the
high-profile agreement by the G8 to wipe out $40bn (£22bn) of Third
World debt.
The G8 backed a pilot project, led by France and Germany, for a
"contribution of air travel tickets to support specific development
projects."
Hans Eichel, the German Finance Minister, said: "The air ticket tax
.... is now on the working programme of the G8. No one in the G8 has
said anything against it."
Gordon Brown is understood to have consented to the new plan, seen as
a sign of a trade-off in exchange for France and Germany dropping
their initial opposition to the terms of his debt cancellation plan.
BA said the notion of the tax was "illogical". A spokeswoman said:
"There is no justification for singling out airline passengers for an
additional tax to fund development in the Third World."
She said it was hard to see why aid for small business in Mozambique
should be funded in part by a family travelling from Glasgow to Malaga
for a holiday.
A spokesman for easyJet said the proposal was "confused". "Why only
target airline passengers - why not bus passengers?" he asked. "If you
want to go after a particular industry why not go after the oil
industry, where companies such as BP and Shell make record profits."
There would be no side-benefit for the environment as the tax would
not give any incentive on people to alter their behaviour, he said.
"Aviation could put hundreds of millions of pounds into the Treasury
and it would have no impact on the environment."
Ryanair said it would "strongly oppose" anything that would increase
charges for consumers.
But John Stewart, the chairman of Transport 2000, a pressure group,
said the proposal was a step forward as the aviation industry was
undertaxed.
"Aviation is a great contributor to global warming and it is African
countries which will be the greatest sufferers from it," he said. "It
seems there is a logic about a tax on aviation, which is a great
polluter, to help those will be the top victims. It could be a Live
Aid of the air."
The G8 also warned that "sustained high energy prices are of
significant concern since they hamper global economic growth".
--
A general rule: if enough people predict something, it
won¹t happen. -- J. G. Ballard
"America is a vast conspiracy to make you happy." -- John Updike
"Long term commitment in relationships is only necessary because it takes
so damn long to raise children. Marriage may well be some kind of trick
to keep the males around beyond sexual satiation." -- Captain Compassion
"Progress is the increasing control of the environment by life.
--Will Durant
Joseph R. Darancette
res0mp8t@NOSPAMverizon.net
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: G8 wants tax on airline tickets to help world poor |
12 Jun 2005 11:22:41 PM |
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This isn't a proposed tax on airlines - but a proposed tax on
PASSENGERS. It's just another way Washington wants to screw
middle-class America. It's a proposed tax on Grandma flying to see her
grandchildren at Christmas.
No $4 to park! No $6 admission!
http://stores.ebay.com/INTERNET-GUN-SHOW
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| User: "Captain Compassion" |
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| Title: Re: G8 wants tax on airline tickets to help world poor |
12 Jun 2005 11:58:15 PM |
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On 12 Jun 2005 21:22:41 -0700, "editor@netpath.net"
<editor@netpath.net> wrote:
This isn't a proposed tax on airlines - but a proposed tax on
PASSENGERS. It's just another way Washington wants to screw
middle-class America. It's a proposed tax on Grandma flying to see her
grandchildren at Christmas.
It's worse then that. This is a world tax, levied by supernational
organizations that will require US citizens to pay. The Constitution
Under Article 1 Section 8 gives that power only to congress.
--
A general rule: if enough people predict something, it
won¹t happen. -- J. G. Ballard
"America is a vast conspiracy to make you happy." -- John Updike
"Long term commitment in relationships is only necessary because it takes
so damn long to raise children. Marriage may well be some kind of trick
to keep the males around beyond sexual satiation." -- Captain Compassion
"Progress is the increasing control of the environment by life.
--Will Durant
Joseph R. Darancette
res0mp8t@NOSPAMverizon.net
.
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