The government has drafted a bill for a national flight tax of €7 per departing passenger starting in 2021. But it will only be implemented if the European Union fails to increase the cost of flying.
Next week, at a high-level ministerial conference in The Hague, the Dutch government is going to showcase a major new piece of legislation – a €7-per-passenger climate tax on flying.
“Unlike travel by car, bus or train, international flights from the Netherlands are not in any way taxed by the Dutch government,” said Menno Snel, the Dutch State Secretary for Finance. “This is a key reason for introducing a flight tax. It will also help close the price gap between plane tickets and, for example, train tickets.”
But it may be an uphill battle. EU laws on taxation are very difficult to pass because they require a unanimous vote of all 28 countries. For this reason, the idea of"enhanced cooperation" just between a smaller group of European countries might be considered. However when it comes to a kerosene tax, there are concerns that this would lead to airlines refilling only in countries that don't have the tax.
The EU passed a law to include aviation in its Emissions Trading Scheme, but this was fiercely resisted by the United States and China when it was set to take effect in 2012. In the end thein the face of pressure from Washington and Beijing, suspending the application of the ETS to foreign aircraft until after a global solution is found at the International Civil Aviation Authority .
The aviation sector is disputing the report’s conclusions. “European governments should support aviation’s ongoing initiatives to decarbonise by providing economic incentives for sustainable jet fuels and low carbon aircraft”, said Thomas Reynaert, managing director of industry association Airlines for Europe.
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