FAMILIES could find their holidays much cheaper with new plans to cut Air Passenger Duty in half by the end of the year.
The maximum fee, up to £172 per person, could drop by £90 each – saving a family of four £360 on their next holiday.
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Currently, all Brits pay Air Passenger Duty (ADP) on flights from the UK, which varies depending on the route and the class travelled in.
Tourists also have to pay the tax on their return flight home, as the flight is from the UK as well.
Fees range from £13 for a short-haul economy flight to £172 for a long-haul first class flight.
Ministers want to reduce the fees as it “restricts the UK’s economic growth” according to the Mail Online.
A letter addressed to Chancellor Rishi Sunak added: “It also makes the hard earned holidays of UK residents more expensive.”
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The fee currently provides £3 billion in revenue a year, but he has been urged to slash APD by 50 per cent to stop deterring visitors.
Calls to cut ADP have been going on since 2018, where it was found that £6 of ever tenner spent on flights was going in tax.
Earlier this month, ABTA called for a reform of the tax, which is currently the highest fee for departing flights in Europe.
They claim that the high tax has nothing to do with sustainability or “greener” practises and in fact hinders the goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
ADP increased in 2018, going up from £75 for long-haul economy flights to £78 – 30 per cent more compared to 2010.
If you live in the Scottish Highlands, you can avoid ADP as passengers are not charged if travelling from Inverness or the Isle of Skye.
However, holidays to France and the Netherlands could get more expensive as both countries call for a new air travel tax in a bid to make the EU carbon neutral.
Thankfully your easyJet flight is cheaper – with the airline getting rid of their booking fee last year.
