Northern Ireland aims to accelerate APD bill
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Authorities in Northern Ireland are keen to push through legislation to scrap Air Passenger Duty (APD) rates in a new bill, the NI Assembly has announced.
Estimates have suggested that eradicating APD on long-haul flights from Northern Ireland could boost the local economy by GBP100 million.
Generally the taxes, which push up the price of air fares, have been described as a disadvantage to businesses in the UK and Northern Ireland as companies head to Paris or Germany where costs can be cheaper.
Northern Ireland had particularly suffered from the rates as more passengers decided to fly in and out of Dublin, where the taxes are not imposed.
“ABTA welcomes the Assembly’s commitment to getting this Bill through the legislation process as quickly as possible,” said Luke Pollard, head of public affairs at ABTA on the announcement. “NI’s decision to devolve APD clearly shows that the tax does have a direct and damaging economic impact and MPs cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the issue. The Assembly’s recognition of the damaging economic impact of APD is a lesson that could be applied more broadly in the UK.”
During the summer nearly 300,000 people emailed their local MP in support of a review into the impact of APD on the UK’s economy.