Scottish Greens call for super tax on private jet users
The next UK government must apply a £1000 per head tax on private jet users to deter the climate wrecking flights and tackle their huge environmental impact, say the Scottish Greens.
The proposal will be a key policy in the party’s manifesto, set to be released this week, and will be part of a range of measures, including removing tax breaks on aviation fuel and phasing out short-haul flights where there are fast and affordable alternatives.
Research from the T&E campaign group shows that private jets are 5 to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes (per passenger), and 50 times more polluting than trains. Greenpeace analysis has found that over 90,000 private flights take off in the UK every year.
A £1000 per head tax on all users could deter private jet use while raising hundreds of millions of pounds to tackle the climate crisis.
Scottish Green co-leader Lorna Slater said: “We are in a climate emergency, with the evidence all around us. It is obscene that a small number of very wealthy people are jetting around the globe in climate wrecking private jets.
“There is absolutely no justification for something so needless and destructive, not when the stakes are so high and the consequences are so severe.
“By introducing a super tax on these flights we can cut the number of jets in our sky and ensure that those who are polluting our planet are paying for the damage they are doing.”
Ms Slater added: “We urgently need to reduce aviation emissions if we are to have any hope of a sustainable future. The Scottish Green manifesto will have bold plans to cut the number of aircraft taking off, particularly short-haul flights, and to support greener transport.”
