In Germany, it is proposed to at least double the air traffic tax. This initiative was presented by the Federal Environmental Agency (Umweltbundesamt, UBA).
As EcoTourism Expert has learned, the UBA proposes to double the air traffic tax. In particular, the proposal includes alignment of air tax contributions with those of other means of transport.
«…So far, aviation only pays about one-tenth of what other kinds of transport pay in taxes, and cheap tickets for city-to-city travelling are being subsidised massively," said Maria Krautzberger, President of the Federal Environmental Agency.
In 2017 alone, the state lost 8.1 billion euros through the lack of kerosene taxation and 4.2 billion euros through the VAT exemption for cross-border flights.
Currently, the revenue from the aviation tax is around 1.2 billion euros - the proposal would therefore correspond to an increase in the aviation tax by about a factor of 3.5. Thus, about 150 euros instead of 41.49 euros of ticket tax would then have to be paid.
At the same time, the distance classes should be revised. Moreover, if the ticket tax were to be correlated according to how much noise and emissions the aircraft used cause, cleaner and quieter aircraft would become much more economical.
In addition, the UBA proposes to introduce a national kerosene tax, which will be extended to the EU by 2030.
The best alternative to flying within Germany and its neighbouring countries is the train. The UBA concept envisages that rail linking between urban centres would be improved by 2030 so that they could be reached in less than four hours.
Shifting short-haul flights to rail would free up the airports. Maria Krautzberger noted "The rail network in Germany will be so well-developed by 2050 that all scheduled flights between German airports and metropolitan areas will be replaced by the railway." This also applies to many of the shorter cross-border flights. The initiative is expected to be launched by 2050.
Blogs
