The UK Governments plans to Increase Taxes on Air Travel in order to Help the Environment is nuts!!!?

Question

Wouldn’t it make more sense to cap the number of flights, or the number of miles people are allowed to travel, instead of increasing taxes, as higher taxes would only penalise the poor, not the richer people that fly more miles, and generally use more fuel???

(Further to a few valid points being raised - I am not getting at the rich, I am just suggesting that higher taxes will have little to no effect, reduction is the only way to reduce emissions, not charge people more for the same damage... The more exclusive something is, the more people will pay, never been able to work that one out, cos I'm not into "Shiney Things" - seems like the mad may now be the majority...)

Answer 1

We live in a capitalist society. Money is merely a product to indicate how much people have given to society over what they have taken.
We all know this is not true because there are plenty of cases where we feel a rich person doesn't deserve to be rich. This doesn't matter though, the system is supposed to reflect the amount of work put in by somebody.
Therefore to complain that making luxury items more expensive penalises the poor makes little sense.

Answer 2

Sigh.
First of all, it's not the Government's plan, it is a recommendation from the Commons Select Committee on Transport which the Government will ignore.

Secondly, if they did put up taxes, it would restrict the number of flights and the distances travelled because the price would go up and, therefore, fewer people would travel.
Or, they could do what you suggest, which would restrict the number of flights available, thereby making them harder to obtain so there would be a greater number of people chasing each seat, thus increasing the price. If something's hard to get it costs more, or, if it costs more, it's harder to get. It's called "supply and demand".

Answer 3

I heard this on the radio this morning. It's bl00dy absurd!!

It's just the typical Labour pigs extracting yet more of our hard earned cash.

You are quite right, reduce the flights, not up the taxation!

Failing that, develop a better engine with less emissions! It's the 21st century, I'm sure it's possible!

Answer 4

It's sad but yes taxing such is an effective economic way to stop pollution it just sucks that it's at the cost of the consumer. It's a payoff, everything would be a lot cheaper if we didn't mind pollution but then our ozone would be gone. I guess it's give and take not too bad but yeah that does suck if you fly a lot.

Answer 5

Its the way the government works though. Just like the NHS, they have sufficient money for it but they put it in the wrong place and misuse it. Its easier for them to raise taxes than it is to find an efficient solution.

Answer 6

Its just another example of a labour gov helping the rich to continue their lives and keeping the rest of the population where they want them.........it has little to do with environmentalism and more to do with world politics, panic at fuel availability and so on. We need a viable alternative to our modern politicians before we can even begin to think of viable alternatives to travel pollution and so on.

To sum up, yes, its nuts!!!!!!!!

Answer 7

Would you rather pay more VAT? Flying is a Luxury, the best kind of thing to tax. They can't get the money from smokers anymore

Answer 8

Are you sure it,s from the Government ? and not from someone who has escaped from a Lunatic Asylum

Answer 9

you gotta stop the planes some how. why not shoot up the prices and people may stop using them

Answer 10

with no enviroment there will b no reason to travel.