UK Flights Hit With Another Tax Increase for Pollution

BBC News reports an air tax increase for all flights from the UK.

Laws doubling the amount of passenger duty people pay when taking flights from the UK have come into force.

The increase was announced by Chancellor Gordon Brown last December. He said airlines should pay more for damaging the environment.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been asked to pay the extra, despite buying tickets before the announcement.

Airlines said they were not expecting major problems in collecting the higher rates of air passenger duty.

Those who have not paid so far will have to do so at airports before flying.

I hope there were a lot of complaints, but when you are standing there and told you can’t use the ticket you just paid for until you pay more money, you’re pretty screwed.

I’m not clear on this, but why should an air tax be levied against passengers? Shouldn’t it be hit against the airlines, factories, car owners and manufacturers, and other industries who are polluting the environment? The cost would then trickle down to the consumer, sure, but the money would be an incentive for big business to get on the clean up band wagon.

Where is the tax money collected really going? And what is really going to do be done with that money?

This is a strange one, but you are warned. Flying out of the UK, bring extra cash.