Passenger tax in Germany
Written by Fju at 03/09 2010, 13:15 - 0 comments
The charge will add 8 Euros to tickets to 52 European destinations, 25 Euros to 50 airports in Asia and Africa, and 45 Euros to all other destinations. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government confirmed the tax will be imposed on all flights out of the country from January 1st 2011, including tickets booked from today.
The levy is part of a proposed budget designed to save the German exchequer 80 billion Euros in the period to 2014. Finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said timing was crucial: “We are implementing the measure with immediate effect following today’s Cabinet resolution. Otherwise, there will be a rush in ticket-buying aimed at pre-empting the tax.”
The tax has been greeted with hostility from Lufthansa and Air Berlin. In a statement Lufthansa said: “Such unilateral action will weaken Germany as a base for the aviation industry, and will massively distort competition. The relationship between the level of the tax and the distance flown will put Germany - a leading export nation that relies heavily on global connections - at a special disadvantage. The aviation tax will give momentum to foreign airlines and airports, as the experience in the Netherlands has shown.”
Dutch authorities abolished a similar tax in 2008, conceding the revenue raised was far less than the revenue lost due to a decrease in traffic as customers switched to competing airports.
