Public divided on more expensive air travel

A Communicate Research poll for this morning’s Independent on Sunday finds the public evenly divided on the taxation of air travel.  49% disagree that air travel should become more expensive to help slow climate change.  48% agree.

There is little difference across social classes.  AB voters agree 52% to 47% with more expensive air travel with C2s disagreeing by 52% to 45%.  Tory voters oppose taxation of air travel by 51% to 48%.  LibDem voters support the idea (which has just become their party’s policy) by 60% to 38%.  Labour voters are evenly divided: 49% to 49%.

The same poll finds that most voters (46% to 38%) view David Cameron’s concern for the environment as a deeply-held conviction.

Related links: 'Blue-green taxation' set to pay for cuts in business taxation

Comments

[Andrew Woodman]

The 46% to 38% who view David Cameron’s concern for the environment as a deeply-held conviction is encouraging. The poll though seems one of those that people are happy to agree with, until they have to find another couple of hundred pounds to go abroad.

[Richard]

"The poll though seems one of those that people are happy to agree with, until they have to find another couple of hundred pounds to go abroad."

In other words it's a tax that will disproportionately harm those on lower incomes as they're less likely to have the resources to afford the tax rises.

[Penultimate Guy]

[email protected]

The plane doesn't know the socio-economic status of the people in its cabin. It emits the same amount of CO2 regardless. Unless you are advocating a progressive air passenger tax, the wealthier will always - obviously - be able to afford more things than the rest of us. That's not a coherent argument against green taxation, especially of non-essential items like air travel.

[Duncan]

The Party needs to think very carefully before we commit to increasing aviation fuel tax. Firstly by implenting taxes we could seriously endanger the future of the low-cost airlines such as Easyjet, Ryanair and BMI Baby. These airlines have provided great competition in the aviation marketplace and ended the virtual monopoly of the large national carriers. Surely as a party which supports the free market, we should welcome this competition.

Secondly, the resulting demise of the low cost airlines may mean that many less well off voters will be priced out of the market and denied their annual Summer holiday abroad which they save and work hard all year to afford. I think a lot of C2 and DE voters may be fairly resentful of someone with the pecuniary means of Zac Goldsmith telling them that they must pay exorbitant taxes in order to fly.

Clearly something does have to be done about global warming but what about forcing all airlines to invest in cleaner technology, renewable fuels and banning all night flights as potential alternatives?

[Jack Stone]

So you have to be poor before you can express a belief that we must increase taxes on pollution to save our planet. Very strange.!Taxes must be used as they are with smoking, as an example, to reduce the public`s use of he car, plane etc and you can only do that by taxing those that pollute the most more.
If we say to people that this is just one part of a wider policy to combat global warming I am sure they will support us.

[Richard]

"Unless you are advocating a progressive air passenger tax, the wealthier will always - obviously - be able to afford more things than the rest of us. That's not a coherent argument against green taxation, especially of non-essential items like air travel."

It doesn't change the fact that such a tax can easily be portrayed as an idea developed by wealthy Greens that denies the poor the opportunity to travel to the exotic locations that the wealthy can afford to reach.

Personally I'm proposed to progressive taxation on principle but if you really want to cut down on CO2 omissions then the only way may be to have higher green taxes on those who can afford the lower green taxes. Otherwise it just looks like an example of middle class hypocrisy - "we might fly to Thailand on a regular basis but at least loads of other people can't".

[Richard]

*"proposed" should be opposed

[Greg Lance-Watkins]

Hi,

The hot air and divisive damage of global warming opinionists, as they stuff their pockets, never seems to explain how we can tax our local star for producing more energy!

We have had 29 identifiable ice ages since Gondwana thus 29 periods of global warming the last one must have been due to the flatulence of charioteers!

The melting of the permafrost in the Obb River catchment area alone produces more, so called, greenhouse gas than every plane flight since Blerriott.

How will you tax the Obb River?

May I suggest capture the gas released to fuel our needs for the next 1,000 years and invest in ways to alter climate. Not make a few 'greenies' wealthy with no meaningfull achievement but much hot air and fashionable pandering.

Start to emulate the OLD TORIES and lead with inovation not like NEW TORIES pandering to every passing fashion.

I note 74% of the rump Tory members are 'satisfied' with Vapid CommieRon - this makes no cogniscience of the 5,000,000 Tory voters that are NOT going to vote for the insipid pandering to populism.

Beware of hubris - after hubris comes nemesis!

Regards,
Greg L-W.

[malcolm]

Glad to see these figures, I had thought people would be too selfish to put the health of the enviroment ahead of cheap air travel.It looks like we can have a proper debate asbout this subject now.

[matt wright]

I think that ordinary supporters of both Labour and Conservative are very wary of this idea. It is noticeable that the Lib Dems are out of sync on this. I think we should be very wary of a policy that taxes flight and badly impacts on many ordinary voters.

Matt

[Given Up]

This tax is discriminatory, it will hit the less well off far harder just like the London Congestion charge.

It will also NOT be levied elswhere in the world, so it will be just another Euro tax, filling up the empty coffers of European gu'mints, whose populations have been brainwashed into believing that Climate Change is a man made problem.

Is it not more than a coincidence, that Euro governments are by far the loudest government proponents of man made Climate Change and also by far the highest energy taxers.