This column is about frequent flyers and, during the past few weeks, people have been having a go at us. “Introduce frequent flyer levy to fight emissions, government told,” said the BBC. “Frequent flyers should pay escalating tax to control soaring number of flights,” the Daily Mail reported.
The source of these stories was a report from the Committee on Climate Change, which advises the UK government. In a list of proposals about how to limit the growth in flights, it suggested — alongside carbon pricing, the taxation of aviation fuel and tickets and the management of airport capacity — “a frequent flyer levy”.
The Liberal Democrats, currently enjoying a poll boost, also announced a proposal that people be allowed to take one flight a year tax-free, but that each subsequent trip be taxed at an increasing rate. “Everyone currently flying would still be able to afford to fly for occasional holidays, or for family reasons, but wealthy frequent flyers would pay more,” the party’s Tackling the Climate Emergency policy paper said.