Well, looks like the hectoring knows-besters of the Green Party have hit on another winner. They can have my air tickets when they pry them from my cold, dead fingers...

(I'm only quoting a bit in fair use; click on the link for the whole thing).


http://www.spiked-online.com/Printable/00000006DFC5.htm

Article13 November 2003
Taxing flight

by Pete Smith


A cynic might suggest that the government's reported proposal to double air passenger duty is an easy £800million windfall to the Treasury. But the air tax debate goes a lot deeper than this. While New Labour has sought to shake off its image as a 'tax and spend' party, one way of avoiding criticism on tax is to claim its 'green' credentials.


After the failure of a variety of initiatives to convince us to pay a voluntary 'green' levy on airfares, environmentalists have welcomed the idea of making it compulsory. Responding to the proposals, Friends of the Earth aviation campaigner Roger Higman argued: 'Increasing air passenger duty has an unstoppable logic and we would fully support it as an effective way to reduce the demand for flying.' (1)