Tax private jets to improve public transport, says Campaign

Campaign for Better Transport is calling for a ‘super’ tax on private jets to help pay for improvements to public transport.

The transport charity is calling for a new ‘super’ rate of Air Passenger Duty to apply to private jet passengers and for private flights to lose their VAT free status.

“We think it’s about time that these individuals started paying for the damage their flights cause” – Norman Baker from Campaign for Better Transport

Norman Baker from Campaign for Better Transport said: “Private jets are hugely damaging to the environment and are the preserve of the super-rich. We think it’s about time that these individuals started paying for the damage their flights cause and the proceeds used to help improve public transport for communities up and down the country.”

Private jets are between five and 14 times more polluting than commercial flights and 50 times more polluting than trains. Currently, private jet passengers are charged the same rate of APD as business or first-class passengers, with a higher rate applied to aircraft of 20 tonnes or more with fewer than 19 passengers onboard. Campaign for Better Transport is calling for a new ‘super’ rate of APD – set at ten times the current higher rate for domestic and European trips – which would apply to all private jet passengers, regardless of the size or capacity of the aircraft or distance travelled.

This new ‘super’ APD tax could raise around £1.4 billion each year, which the Campaign highlights is more than the government has invested across the whole of the local bus network in recent years.

The transport charity is also calling for VAT to be applied each time a private jet lands or takes off, regardless of size or distance travelled, which would further raise between £79 million and £623 million.

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