The association claims families will be ‘taxed out of the skies’ if APD is hiked as planned later this year.
From 1 November the Government intends to increase APD so that a family of four flying from the UK to Florida will pay £180 in tax. A further planned increase from November 2010 will see them pay £240.
Other popular family destinations will be even harder hit, ABTA said, with the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean resorts seeing the same travellers’ bill increase to £200 from November 2009 and £300 a year later.
Travellers to the popular ‘visiting friends and relatives’ markets of Australia or New Zealand, meanwhile, will have to shell out £220 this year and £300 in 2010.
And for anyone opting for extra leg room by flying in premium economy, these tax increases will all double, putting the service, ‘introduced to allow a bit more comfort at an affordable price’, out of range of many, ABTA said.
Mark Tanzer, chief executive, added: ‘One of the great successes of the travel industry has been that we have made it possible for families on a budget to head overseas for holidays or to visit loved ones.
‘These steep rises in taxation at a time when families are already feeling the pinch will only help to take us back to the days when only the well off could afford to fly.’
The 10 Downing Street online petition calling on the Government to scrap the APD hike can be accessed here:
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/APDIncrease/.
See also:
WTTC calls for abolition of APD (04/08/2009)
PSA backs ABTA's APD campaign (22/07/2009)
Virgin steps up APD campaign (16/07/2009)
Tanzer demands meeting with Darling (08/04/2009)
Action urged on APD (27/03/2009)
Anger over APD changes (25/11/2008)