The mayor of London pushes new flight tax

The mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, who has made some steps towards greening London is now backing a flight tax. One of the scenarios would look like that you would have one "free" flight each year and every additional flight you will have to pay a new flight tax.

He said: "We are not being honest with people about aviation - the rate of increase from emissions from aviation is terrifying. The more £6 holidays to Marbella, the worse it is going to get."

He claimed that a tax on flights similar to one proposed by the Tory leader David Cameron was necessary to reflect the damage aviation is causing to the planet.

"It is nice that people can have short-haul breaks but at what price to the planet? That's why I like David Cameron's idea of a tax on every second or third flight you take in a year."

Mr Livingstone said he would support a levy of around £15 on every holiday flight people take - apart from one trip per year.

The mayor also criticised government claims that an expansion in airport capacity was necessary for the economy. He pointed out that only 15% to 18% of air traffic around London was related to business; the rest was for leisure.

AngryBee says: Why should we pay more for our flights? Let us fly, in total we don't do that much damage, only a few percent of total emissions.

SustainaBee says: This is good step towards putting a price on environmental damage. Until now we can pollute the air for free, which is terrible for the environment! Especially with air travel increasing dramatically in the next decades it could be one of the biggest polluters soon. If you live in a big country, chances are there are many exciting places you haven't seen in your region yet - why not take the train for your next holiday?

Further reading: