Flight Taxes Hiked to Bail Out Banks: It's Nothing to do With Environment, Says Darling

‘Flight taxes are being raised to help bail out the banks, Alistair Darling admitted yesterday. In an extraordinary intervention, the Chancellor said the higher air passenger duty being introduced tomorrow was needed to plug gaps in the national finances.

He made no attempt to justify the move  -  which will add £340 to the ticket for a family of four flying long haul – on environmental grounds, the official reason for the tax. Airlines warned yesterday that the tax would cost thousands of jobs and do nothing to combat global warming.’

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