I don't whinge a lot about my own misfortunes. In fact I don't think I ever have on this forum, but I have to in the light of Gordon Brown's pre-Budget speech.
Gordon has decided to raise the Passenger Air Fuel Duty by 100%.
This works out at a rise from £5 to £10 on domestic flights. There are no promises that this money (estimated at £1 Billion) will go directly to addressing green issues. None at all.
My points are this.
- This is another stealth tax.
- There is no direct impact upon travel because it will not stop people flying, especially the majority who, it has been demonstrated, can easily afford it.
- There is no quantifiable green dividend.
- But my main point, and it is a personal one, is that this move will cost me personally. I rely on regular cheap domestic flights and have done for the past four years. Mainly on Easyjet and BMI Baby. I have stopped using the Fascist National Carrier.
So, this is not a green move to me, merely another rise in taxes, along with galactic domestic fuel rises, rafts of car taxes and the generally increasing cost of actually getting to work and parking when you get there.
This is not a tax that will do anything but raise slush money for the exchequer and increase the burden on ordinary people who need to get about.
(Not mentioning the extra £600 million to be spent on our aggression in Iraq and Afghanistan - that's about three more hospitals)
All in all this pre-budget speech represents altogether a £2 billion tax rise for you and me - half of that for me and so, as the Americans say, I am pissed. Even more pissed when it becomes apparent that all the pundits on TV are not outraged about the Air tax because, being on generous expenses, most of them don't have a clue about the cost of air travel, nor do they care.
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